implementing an official Debian backport framework for the current stable release
Hi!
I have been using Debian for 2 years and I am currently using the
Sarge, which is the current stable release because it is well tested,
stable and doees not change the packages and dependencies every day.
However this also deprive me from accessing the updated software (e.g.
wine, firefox 1.5 (expected to be released in late Nov) and openoffice
2.0) without having to update to testing/unstable, which would be a
very large download. This failure of getting stability,
convenience as well as access to updated software at thte same time is
one of the main factor putting people off Debian.
To address this problem, I am thinking about a possible framework for official debian backport to the current stable release:
- to create a backport repository of the most recent packages on
testing that have significant improvements / addition of important
functions to the public (e.g. openoffice 2.0, wine 0.9, firefox 1.5
(when it is officially released), PHP 5 etc.)
- packages of the basic environment such as gcc, glibc, X, GNOME and
KDE are EXCLUDED fro the backport repository to avoid massive
downloads/upgrades
- These packages must be build under the standard current stable build
environment and their dependencies must be fully satisfied by the
repository current stable release (i.e. the environment including the
gcc, glibc, X, GNOME and KDE are strictified to the parameters of the
stable release)
- the backport repository are available for i386, IA64, amd64 and ppc architectures only to limit maintenance workload
- the backport repository are available on SEPARATE CD set and independent from the parent set.
- backport repository CD sets are to be released in 4-6 month intervals
(releases are registered as point releases) until the release of rc3 of
the testing distribution
- the most current point release of the backport repository is to be supported by a security team (official or unofficial)
- backport repository for each architecture should not exceed 2GB to
avoid overload of server space and resource of security team
What do you think about the feasibility of such a backport framework
and its effectiveness in making a good compromise between stability,
usability and access to the most updated software/function?
Reply to: