Bug#495233: debian-policy: README.source content should be more detailed
Package: debian-policy
Version: 3.8.0.1
Hi,
I really like the idea of documenting special things about a source
package in debian/README.source. However, I think that section 4.14
could be improved a lot.
First, section 4.14 should list things that one does not need to
describe in debian/README.source. For example, the use of one of the
"standard" patch systems (quilt, dpatch, simple-patchsys) doesn't need
to be documented, since every NMUer should be able to work with them.
Another example is build systems: cdbs is used by >20% of our packages,
so I don't think that one need to document its use.
If you look at the packages currently providing a debian/README.source
(see gluck:~lucas/readme.source for a list), it seems that
debian/README.source is used as a way to generate a large number of
different howtos for patch systems. Having a common way to specify that
one should look at another file if looking for documentation about
something.
Also, it would be interesting to extend the use of debian/README.source
to other areas, such as:
- whether the maintainer encourages commits for other people directly to
the package's VCS.
- the branch layout in the package's VCS.
Maybe we could have a machine-parseable format to specify those, too.
--
| Lucas Nussbaum
| lucas@lucas-nussbaum.net http://www.lucas-nussbaum.net/ |
| jabber: lucas@nussbaum.fr GPG: 1024D/023B3F4F |
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