Fedora 34 Change: Stop Shipping Individual Nodejs Library Packages (Self-Contained)

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https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Changes/NodejsLibrariesBundleByDefault

== Summary ==

For Nodejs, Fedora should only package:
* The interpreter, development headers/libraries, and the assorted
tools to manage project-level installations (NPM, yarn, etc.).
* Packages that provide binaries that users would want to use in their shell.
* compiled/binary nodejs modules (for now)

== Owner ==

* Name: [[User:tdawson| Troy Dawson]]
* Email: tdawson@xxxxxxxxxx
* Name: [[User:sgallagh| Stephen Gallagher]]
* Email: sgallagh@xxxxxxxxxx
* Name: [[https://developer.fedoraproject.org/tech/languages/nodejs/SIG.html|
Nodejs SIG]]
* Email: nodejs@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx


== Detailed Description ==

The nodejs libraries have been approved to be bundled, and there is
infrastructure in place for the bundling to work properly.  Currently,
it is recommended that packagers should create individual nodejs
library packages instead of bundling all of the libraries into the
package requiring them.
This change is to make it default to bundle the nodejs libraries with
the package that needs them, and retire the vast majority of nodejs
library packages.

In summary, for Nodejs Fedora should only package:
* The interpreter, development headers/libraries, and the assorted
tools to manage project-level installations (NPM, yarn, etc.).
* Packages that provide binaries that users would want to use in their shell.
* compiled/binary nodejs modules (for now)


== Feedback ==

There has been a discussion on the fedora nodejs mailing list about
what to do with the extreme dependency problem of the nodejs library
packages.  Because of the extreme inter-dependency, upgrading almost
any package causes others to break.  It has caused most packages to
rot, remaining on unsupported versions for years.  Many of the nodejs
packagers are giving up and orphaning their packages, which has caused
even more problems.

An initial proposal was to find all of the important nodejs library
packages and bundle those, making them easier to upgrade and maintain.
But there was problems with figuring out what was important, and what
versions should those have.  During that discussion, this rather
extreme solution of getting rid of all nodejs libraries was proposed.
To our surprise, it has been the best received suggestion and fixes
the most problems.

== Benefit to Fedora ==

* In Fedora 33, there are many nodejs libraries that are
uninstallable, thus causing other programs based off them to also be
uninstallable.  This gets rid of that problem.
* Packages in Fedora that use nodejs libraries will be able to use the
library versions that upstream has tested and approved.
* If a package in Fedora uses a nodejs library, the packager will not
have to also package extra individual nodejs library packages.  There
have been times this has led to over 100 extra packages, each with
their own package reviews and maintenance problems.  This change will
lower the workload on that packager, and possibly get more packages
into Fedora.
* The nodejs maintainers can concentrate on nodejs itself, instead of
the whole nodejs library infrastructure.
* Nodejs developers using Fedora will no longer have to worry about
Fedora's global nodejs libraries causing conflicts or inconsistencies.

== Scope ==
* Proposal owners:
We will go through the Fedora release and determine what nodejs
packages Fedora should package. We will implement nodejs library
bundling on those we already own.  For those that we do not own, we
will work with their owners to implement nodejs library bundling.

As packages implement nodejs library bundling, we will monitor the
nodejs libraries and note which ones are no longer required.  When
they are no longer required, we will retire them, if we own them.  If
we do not own them, we will work with the owners to retire them, if
they wish.

* Other developers:
For Fedora packagers whose package rely on nodejs libraries, please
contact the [[https://developer.fedoraproject.org/tech/languages/nodejs/SIG.html|
Nodejs SIG]] and we will help you find the easiest way to bundle your
nodejs libraries.

For Fedora nodejs library packages, look to see what depends on your
library.  If it looks like you can do so, retire your nodejs library.
If you would like, give the
[[https://developer.fedoraproject.org/tech/languages/nodejs/SIG.html|
Nodejs SIG]] admin to your nodejs libraries, and they will work
through the process for you.

* Release engineering: [https://pagure.io/releng/issues #Releng issue
number] (a check of an impact with Release Engineering is needed)
* Policies and guidelines: N/A (not a System Wide Change)
* Trademark approval: N/A (not needed for this Change)
* Alignment with Objectives:


== Upgrade/compatibility impact ==
N/A


== How To Test ==

* Install all nodejs libraries in Fedora 33.  Try to update to Fedora 34.
* Try to install all packages that require nodejs in Fedora 34.
* Install all packages that require nodejs in Fedora 33.  Try to
update to Fedora 34.

== User Experience ==
non-developer end users should not see anything different.  Their
nodejs binaries should continue to work.

Nodejs developers using Fedora will no longer have to worry about
Fedora's global nodejs libraries causing conflicts or inconsistencies.


== Dependencies ==
As nodejs library packages are removed, we will work with the various
packages that depend on them. We will help them bundle their nodejs
libraries.


== Contingency Plan ==
Since we will be bundling the nodejs binaries, before we remove their
current dependencies, we will simply stop where we are at the freeze.
There will be nothing to back out.

* Contingency mechanism: N/A
* Contingency deadline: N/A
* Blocks release? N/A
* Blocks product? N/A

== Documentation ==
N/A (not a System Wide Change)

-- 
Ben Cotton
He / Him / His
Senior Program Manager, Fedora & CentOS Stream
Red Hat
TZ=America/Indiana/Indianapolis
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