python-nss feature

[John Poelstra]

John Dennis said the following on 08/08/2008 01:10 PM Pacific Time:
> Paul Fields graciously has brought to my attention some concerns 
> expressed here as to whether python-nss is truly a feature or just mere 
> packaging. The feature page was probably deficient in explaining why 
> this is a feature. Previously there were no python bindings for NSS. NSS 
> is our preferred cryptographic library for SSL/TLS and certificate 
> management (largely because of it's FIP 140 certification, plus a 
> variety of other issues). Python is widely used in Fedora. The absence 
> of Python bindings for NSS has been a developmental liability for many 
> Fedora projects. Due to the complexity of NSS and the desire to produce 
> a binding which was "pythonic" it was not possible to produce a binding 
> via automated tools (e.g. swig). Instead the binding was written by hand 
> with Red Hat investing many man months of engineering in the effort. If 
> the binding had been easy to produce one would have existed already, but 
> it's been missing for years. This is why it's a feature. It's not "just 
> packaging" because that implies the binding already existed and we just 
> packaged it up, something which would have been just a fraction of the 
> effort actually invested. To my mind a feature is something which did 
> not exist previously and brings significant new functionality to the 
> release, I believe python-nss fulfils that criteria.
> 
> I will update the features page with this information.
> 

+1

Considering that this functionality is originating in Fedora I also 
think it should be considered a feature.

I think it meets at least two of the points stated here: 
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Features/Policy/Definitions#Definition_of_a_Feature

I don't think it applies to the situation above, but really, what harm 
is there in erring on the side of calling something a feature when maybe 
some people may consider it isn't?  We've got a nice list of features 
firming up for Fedora 10, but surely there is room for many more on this 
page: https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Releases/10/FeatureList

I'd rather we take a harder line on not calling things features when we 
get to a place when we have too many features.  I don't think we are 
there yet :)

John