Re: C++ wrapper

["E. Robert Tisdale" <edwin at netwood dot net>]

Brian Gough wrote:

> I believe these questions were covered in the earlier thread,
> "Who owns GSL?"
> 
> 	http://sources.redhat.com/ml/gsl-discuss/2000/msg00502.html
> 
> Anyone is free to post specific API suggestions to the list
> for the developers to consider.
> We certainly read and consider everything on the list
> but we have our own opinions too
> so it would be a question of persuading us that
> something is worthwhile in the context of GSL
> for the amount of work involved.

It appears that the GSL API is owned
by the GSL developers/maintainers.
Apparently, this means that the GSL API
belongs to Gerard Jungman and Brian Gough.
The GSL API is their property.
Application programmers may offer suggestions
but only the owners decide
what will be included and what will not be included.
Application programmers can't really participate
in the design of the GSL API
any more than they can participate
in the design of the Rogue Wave API.
Any application programmer who uses the GSL API
is vulnerable to the whims of the owners.
If they decide to change the API
so that it breaks applications which depend upon it,
there is nothing that application programmers can do
short of assuming maintenance of the GSL themselves.

The GSL is, therefore, a practical option
only for programmers who write short-lived disposable
application programs.