Re: Proposal: smartlua

[marbux <marbux@...>]

IMHO, the usability bar needs to be raised considerably higher for lay
users, the people who run scripts rather than write them:

-- From the user's viewpoint, this needs to be a black box system
requiring no knowledge of Lua and minimal understanding of the
underlying operating environment;

-- Very easy installation of the package management system on the
client side, including all of its dependencies. For Linux, UNIX, and
OS X, this might be handled through existing package management
systems. E.g., .deb, .rpm, and Home Brew. For Windows, an .exe or .msi
installer that includes all dependencies;

-- For stand-alone Lua, a GUI modeled on familiar interfaces, e.g.,
the Synaptic package manager, suitable for embedding in Lua-based
apps;

-- For embedded Lua developers, clear identification and definition of
what glue code is required, including identification of which APIs
must be and may be incorporated in a custom GUI;

-- Automatic handling of package dependencies, if available;

-- In the package specs for modules, mandatory metadata for
identification of Lua version incompatibilities;

-- In the client, the ability to set and filter out modules by Lua
version incompatibility;

-- Other?

If this project takes root, I volunteer to contribute to the
documentation effort; I've got experience in writing software
documentation.

Best regards,

Paul