[Lazarus] Online Package Manager Questions

[Kostas Michalopoulos]

On 1/13/25 12:14 AM, Werner Pamler via lazarus wrote:
> To be honest, once a package has made it into OPM it has a "safe life" 
> there. There is no chance to re-test all existing packages at all. But 
> sometimes, usually after changes in FPC or in the LCL, users report in 
> the forum that packages do not work any more. In this case, the user (or 
> I) contacts the author or files a bug report in the author's repository, 
> and the issue gets fixed. In other cases, the author is not active any 
> more: when there is an easy fix I patch the component byself and replace 
> the non-functional package. When this is not possible, the package is 
> removed.

Would it be possible to do some periodic 'smoke tests' where all 
packages are compiled against latest (main) Lazarus (preferably with 
latest/main FPC too, at least as an extra pass - i.e. main branch 
Lazarus compiled with main branch FPC) to find any packages that won't 
compile and even run automated tests for those packages that provide them?

Perhaps this could help not only to find early which packages might 
break but also - and most importantly IMO - will help find 'obvious' 
backward compatibility regressions in Lazarus (and FPC, if a pass for 
main FPC branch is used) before any releases are made.

Of course this wont help with packages that compile and have tests that 
pass (or wont have any tests at all) that still have their behavior 
affected negatively by changes in Lazarus / FPC, but it could still be 
useful to find and avoid some regressions.

Kostas