[MacPorts] #55455: github portgroup: ability to download files from more than one github project

[MacPorts]

#55455: github portgroup: ability to download files from more than one github
project
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  Reporter:  ryandesign   |      Owner:
      Type:  enhancement  |     Status:  new
  Priority:  Normal       |  Milestone:
 Component:  ports        |    Version:
Resolution:               |   Keywords:
      Port:               |
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Comment (by ryandesign):

 Replying to [comment:5 kencu]:
 > Without getting too fancy about it, homebrew has a concept of adding a
 `resource` that is specified simply by a complete URL. It is downloaded
 without further fanfare, and then can be used as desired.

 And I consider that typical lack of fanfare to be one of homebrew's
 weaknesses, and what we do to be one of our strengths.

 What happens if, for example, GitHub changes their URLs? They've
 [changeset:77bc9bfce43aa4fc2d9137aca55abdf10769f421/macports-ports done it
 once before], and it was nice that we could make the needed changes
 centrally in the portgroup instead of having to modify hundreds of
 Portfiles.

 Further, in the case of GitHub, the portgroup does more than just download
 a file. It sets proper livecheck and homepage defaults too. And in the
 case of automatically-generated tarballs, it renames the extracted
 directories to a predictable name. You don't want to have to duplicate all
 that code to each portfile either.

 And very simply, MacPorts has the idea that a single distfile might be
 distributed by a network of mirror servers. MacPorts lets a port specify
 the distfile (basename and extension) once, then define the list of
 servers and server directories where that file might be found. We even
 have central lists of known mirror server groups, so that all ports that
 download from, say, GNU, can use it, and if a new GNU mirror appears, or
 if one disappears, it can be updated centrally and all ports using that
 group can benefit.

 All of this is not possible if one simply, and without fanfare, specifies
 complete URLs of files to download. Which is why MacPorts doesn't do that.

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Ticket URL: <https://trac.macports.org/ticket/55455#comment:7>
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