Bug#39299: AMENDED PROPOSAL] Permit use of bz2 for source packages

[Goswin Brederlow <goswin.brederlow@student.uni-tuebingen.de>]

Ben Collins <bcollins@debian.org> writes:

> On Fri, Oct 22, 1999 at 07:11:24PM +0200, Goswin Brederlow wrote:
> > Chris Lawrence <quango@watervalley.net> writes:
> > 
> > > Therefore, I propose that we permit the use of bzip2 to compress
> > > source package files (.orig.tar for non-native packages, .tar for
> > > native packages).  A patch to dpkg-1.4.1.16 is available that
> > > implements this capability as an option.  Note that diff files are
> > > still compressed with gzip, even with bzip2 support for tar files
> > > enabled, because few are over 5k in size (compressed).
> > 
> > Could that maybe be more general. I would like to have a line in the
> > dsc file that tells how to uncompress the tar.xxx file, i.e. names the 
> > program to pipe the file through, to get the tar itself. Normaly (or
> > if not mentioned) gunzip would be used.
> > 
> > It would normaly look as follows:
> > 
> > uncmopressor: gunzip
> 
> Normally, one could just look at the extension (.gz, .bz2). I don't see a
> need to add an extra field to the .dsc.
> 
> Ben

Then dpkg-source, dpkg-deb,....  must know all compression programs
and their extensions that will ever be written or have been in
use. That might make a long list.

For obvious stuff like gz and bz2 its clear what to take, but what
about lha, lzh, lzx just to name a few. If the source uses some (to
dpkg-source) unknown compressor, the variable uncompress could tell
dpkg-source and alike what to do with it. That way any compressor
available for debian would be a possible choise as a compressor.
It would be general, easy and a one time job to implement that.

May the Source be with you.
			Goswin