[development] Confused: package value of info files

[Earnie Boyd]

Quoting Gabor Hojtsy <gabor at hojtsy.hu>:

> On Thu, 21 Dec 2006, Earnie Boyd wrote:
>> <quote>If your module comes with other modules or is meant to be 
>> used exclusively with other modules, enter the name of the package 
>> here.</quote> Hmm... It uses Taxonomy ... Hmm... That must be the 
>> package string value I should use for my package.
>
> Earnie, "package" and "module" are not the same things.

That really depends on which definition you use for package and which 
one you use for module.  I think this definition for product from IBM 
as found using define:product on Google fits well: "An installable unit 
of a software product. Software product packages are separately 
installable units that can operate independently from other packages of 
that software product."  For module I find "A program unit that is 
discrete and identifiable with respect to compiling, combining with 
other units, and loading."  Since package and module both resolve to a 
unit of software I think of them as synonymous.

> Package is a module suite, in which the modules are usually 
> architected to work closely together (like the links package, 
> ecommerce, the erp module suite, etc). Core modules are not forming 
> module suites with contrib modules. Contrib modules themselfs can 
> form module suites. You won't have taxonomy module listed with other 
> taxonomy related modules in your module list for sure. There is no 
> taxonomy module suite (package).
>

The definition for package Drupal needs to promote is one as found in 
the same Google search I mentioned above: "A package is a collection of 
modules related by authorship, maintenance, or distribution."

Earnie