Re: Request to Reconsider the Removal of djbdns from FreeBSD Ports (Regarding Bug 256450)

Hi Vladimir,

I just had a quick look at the port we had in tree. The ports it selfs is
using some external patches as build options. These are

DUMPCACHE_DESC=	persistent cache for dnscache
IP6_DESC=	IPv6 support by Felix von Leitner
IGNOREIP_DESC=	ignoreip2 patch by Russell Nelson
JUMBO_DESC=	jumbo patch by Claudiu Costin
MAN_DESC=	manual pages by Gerritt Pape
PERSISTENT_MMAP_DESC=	persistent mmap patch by Lennert Buytenhek
SRV_DESC=	SRV record patch by Michael Handler
DNSCURVE_DESC=	DNSCurve support by Matthew Dempsky
ADD_USERS_DESC=	Add dnscache, tinydns and dnslog users/groups

Some of the them conflict with eath other.

I had also a quick look at github and there are quiet a few forks of
djbdns. Have you considered one of them? Most of them could be compile
as-is on FreeBSD.

Another way to getting the functionality back would be to great a fork
of the subproject with available patches.

--Gordon

On Fri, Nov 10, 2023 at 04:23:27PM +0400, Vladimir Marchenko wrote:
> Dear FreeBSD Ports Community,
> 
> I am a longtime FreeBSD user, having started back in the late 1990s. Yay,
> it has been since the last century! I am reaching out to request a
> reconsideration of the decision to remove djbdns from FreeBSD Ports
> Collection, as discussed in Bug 256450.
> 
> The decision to deprecate djbdns was primarily based on its status as
> "unmaintained" and the precedent set by some linux distributions removing
> it. However, as David Thiel pointed out, tinydns within djbdns is still
> solid and widely used, and its removal is already causing frustration among
> users. This indicates a significant user base that still finds value in
> djbdns.
> 
> Furthermore, Leo Vandewoestijne raised an important point about the
> relevance of djbdns, particularly its tinydns-data component, which is
> still useful and can be integrated with other modern tools like PowerDNS
> and dnsdist. This underscores the ongoing utility and adaptability of
> djbdns in contemporary environments.
> I, personally, found out about this unfortunate "bug resolution" when I
> once again tried to install dgbdns as a nifty shortcut to have daemontools
> correctly and easily installed and activated  on my system. Daemontools
> port does not do it by itself. This is just one example. But djbdns is also
> valuable as a simple and dependable DNS server for local networks where not
> being an "over engineered monstrosity" is more valuable than strict
> compliance with all the latest trends and standards.
> 
> There are NO good reasons to destroy the value gjbdns brings to users of
> FreeBSD or to destroy value that numerous tips and manuals online involving
> djbdns bring to FreeBSD users.
> 
> Also, philosophically, destroying good software in this fashion is what
> Linux crowd often does for a variety of petty reasons and what FreeBSD
> simply does not. FreeBSD is indeed valued for being stable, dependable,
> reliable and to a large degree backward compatible. Let's not ruin that!
> 
> Somehow, very reasonable objections voiced by Leo Vandewoestijne and David
> Thiel were summarily ignored and the decision maker in this matter has
> chosen to rely instead on an obvious logical fallacy "appeal to the [linux]
> crowd" plus some misguided notions regarding supposed obsolescence and lack
> of use of djbdns.
> 
> Additionally, Daniel Engberg somehow assigned the status of bug 256450 as
> "affects only me" which clearly cannot be further from the truth.
> Alternatively, if the presence of djbdns port indeed somehow affects
> only Daniel
> Engberg, then ruining thousands of setups and workflows of many users just
> to fix something that affects only Daniel Engberg appears to be all the
> more nonsensical.
> 
> Given these discussions and facts, I urge the community and  Daniel Engberg
> personally to reconsider the removal of djbdns. Its continued usage and the
> integration with other tools demonstrate its enduring relevance. Let's
> continue to support the diverse needs of our user base by retaining this
> valuable software.
> 
> Thank you for considering this request. I look forward to our community's
> continued commitment to supporting a wide range of software needs while
> ensuring FreeBSD remains reliable, dependable and backward compatible as
> much as possible.
> 
> Best wishes,
> Vladimir Marchenko.