Hi,
On Fri, 11 Sep 2020 at 20:22, Maxim Cournoyer <maxim.courno...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Yes, this sounds like it! How about the following section, to help
> contributors decide between the two?
>
> --8<---------------cut here---------------start------------->8---
> 1 file changed, 14 insertions(+)
> doc/contributing.texi | 14 ++++++++++++++
>
> modified doc/contributing.texi
> @@ -369,6 +369,7 @@ needed is to review and apply the patch.
> * Package Naming:: What's in a name?
> * Version Numbers:: When the name is not enough.
> * Synopses and Descriptions:: Helping users find the right package.
> +* Snippets versus Phases:: Whether to use a snippet, or a build phase.
> * Python Modules:: A touch of British comedy.
> * Perl Modules:: Little pearls.
> * Java Packages:: Coffee break.
> @@ -599,6 +600,19 @@ Gettext}):
> for the X11 resize-and-rotate (RandR) extension. @dots{}")
> @end example
>
> +@node Snippets versus phases
> +@subsection Snippets versus phases
> +
> +@cindex snippets, when to use
> +The boundary between using an origin snippet versus a build phase to
> +modify the sources of a package can be elusive. Origin snippets are
> +typically used to remove unnecessary files such as bundled libraries,
> +nonfree sources, or to apply simple substitutions. The source derived
> +from an origin should produce a source that can be used to build the
> +package on any system that the upstream package supports (i.e., act as
> +the corresponding source). In particular, origin patches or snippets
> +must not embed store items in the sources; such patching should rather
> +be done using build phases.
>
> @node Python Modules
> @subsection Python Modules
> --8<---------------cut here---------------end--------------->8---
It helps. :-)
And the origin snippet:
http://guix.gnu.org/manual/devel/en/guix.html#origin-Reference
could be cross-linked to the subsection above.
Thank you for the insightful remark.
All the best,
simon
