samba-3.0.0beta1 codeset issue on non-Linux

[Alexander Bokovoy]

On Fri, Jun 13, 2003 at 05:08:48PM +0100, David Lee wrote:
> > > Which begs further questions about whether we want (or perhaps need) to
> > > allow multi-stage charset conversion.
> > GNU iconv library is really your friend in that case.
> 
> OK.  For me, at my site, it may be my possible friend.
I understand your willingness to develop generic solution.

> My personal view is that it would be unwise for Samba to _require_ a prior
> installation of GNU's iconv.  However if such GNU-based functionality is
> required, then bundling "iconv" (or a subset thereof) with Samba might be
> the solution.  Note that every autoconf application already does a similar
> bundling exercise, namely with the "config.guess" family of files.
The problem is that we can't just provide CP850<->UCS-2LE and be happy. To
iterate your points above, there might be different organizations when
CP850 isn't accepted just because it doesn't cover needed characters --
I'm speaking about Non-Latin-1 world.

So the problem really is to what degree we (developers+users+OS vendors)
need to cooperate to get:

  - working Samba 3.0 for large subset of codesets
  - working native iconv implementations in cases where they are broken
  
> So the questions:
> 
> 1. Are we going to _require_ GNU's iconv at every site?  (I.e. refuse to
>    install samba if GNU iconv not already installed.)  I hope not.
I hope too. However, if something broken, it needs to be fixed. For broken
native iconv implementations OS vendors might be those who take
responsibility as well.

> 2. Assuming that we are going to permit (albeit with reduced enthusiasm)
>    the native-OS "iconv", what do we do?  One of:
>    a)  What configure tests?  Multi-stage?  Corresponding code changes?
Multi-stage conversion in samba might require non-trivial code changes
which also include maintenance of following information:
  - which iconv implementation has problems with which direct conversions
  - available paths for losless multi-stage conversion

>    b)  Bundle iconv (or part) with samba?
I'm not sure this would be a good solution.

>    c)  Some other (what?) solution.
Simpliest answer would be to ask OS vendor about fixing their bugs in
iconv implementations but we are realists... So I don't have answer right
now. 

Steve?

-- 
/ Alexander Bokovoy
The degree of technical confidence is inversely proportional to the
level of management.