Re: Easiest way to Debianise a package?
* Ivan Vucica <ivucica@gmail.com> [080411 18:18]:
> I'm looking for a smarter way to produce Debian packages for future
> games, out of SVN'ed, autotools-using projects. I'm looking for
> information for cases where I am the upstream. That means I could use
> tips with proper use of autotools to make generating DEBs easier; I'm
> still generally struggling with autotools.
> [...]
> So, I have an autotools project. Punching in "make dist" produces
> "project-0.1.tar.gz". "make distcheck" also produces a valid
> executable provided that all libraries are installed. Data files are
> not (currently) mentioned anywhere in the autotools data files such as
> Makefile.am, configure.ac, etc.
>
> Questions:
> 1. What are your recommendations with regards to what to use to
> perform initial debianisation of the project? Meaning - what should I
> use? Just debhelper? CDBS?
That depends whom you ask. Both has advantages and disadvantages.
The biggest distadvantage of CDBS is that you have to know everything
very good to be sure it does the right thing and still works tomorrow
and not only by pure chance now.
> 2. Should data files be produced by same "debianisation" directory (by
> which I mean folder containing files "copyright", "rules", etc)?
I don't understand the question.
> 3. Should source file generated by autotools contain the data files?
> Will that make debianisation any easier?
That depends. Usually just having one .orig.tar.gz containing everything
makes it easier for users compiling on their own (they just have to
download a single file), for you if you want to put them into the same
source package (which has the advantage of easier keeping them in sync
in the archive, though the downsize that you only can upload new
versions of program and data at the same time to Debian[1]).
> 4. In case my questions are wrong:
> What would be your steps for producing packages "project" and
> "project-data", considering what I mentioned above and directory
> structure below?
> What would be your desires for upstream -- what should upstream do to
> make your life easier?
In case everything is in the same source package (which I'd suggest),
separating things at build time (and even only build the needed parts)
is easier when arch-dependent and arch-independent parts are in separate
directories and have their own Makefile's (in auto* by having their
own Makefile.am doing the preparation and installing as opposed to
having the top-level Makefile doing that) and no functionality in the
top level dir (i.e. mostly only clean and things recursing into SUBDIRS
there).
> What would you do after fetching SVN (not tar.gz) that contains data
> as below, and whose "make dist" would generate .tar.gz containing just
> sources?
I guess I'd be confused but remember some games separate stuff and start
reading the README.
> Note: src/Makefile.am.template is generated using autogen.sh to
> produce src/Makefile.am... don't ask.
must. resist. the. urge....
Hochachtungsvoll,
Bernhard R. Link
[1] Though realistically, only both change at the same time usually.
Reply to: