[rb-general] Change front page definition

[Vagrant Cascadian]

On 2019-04-04, David A. Wheeler wrote:
> The front page has this definition:
>
>> Reproducible builds are a set of software development practices that
>> create an independently-verifiable path from source to binary code.
>
> The word "path" here is confusing.  A "path" can be interpreted as
> being a "process", so it sounds like the only requirement is that you
> can rerun the *process*.  But that's not enough to be reproducible -
> you have to have identical *results*!  That is not at all clear from
> this definition.
>
> That front page links to a different definition:
>
>> A build is reproducible if given the same source code, build
>> environment and build instructions, any party can recreate bit-by-bit
>> identical copies of all specified artifacts.
>
> I like this definition much more; it is much less ambiguous.  You
> could add "(e.g., executables)." after "artifacts" if you think that
> artifacts is too abstract.

Good point! I think the front page text existed long before the official
definition was written. It would be good for our messaging to be
consistant with out official definiton.

I think merging the two might be appropriate in some way. The front page
text addresses two points that I think still belong on the front page,
notably "independently verifiable" as well as "software development
practices".

The official definition is clearly about when something is reproducible,
but I think the front page also needs to briefly talk about what you
gain by having reproducible builds and how to get there. Obviously, it
goes on to describe those points in greater detail, but I think it's
worth including in a brief summary statement.


live well,
  vagrant
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