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Backports with API breaks



If a package has changed API since stable (in a non-backward-compatible way and without changing binary package name), and/or is likely to do so before next stable, is that a reason not to backport it?

e.g. pandas has an open backport request [0], but broke 6 of 43 reverse dependencies when tested before upload to unstable [1]. The ones I know about can use Breaks:, but there may be more that I don't know about because they don't have (enough) tests.

Since backports are supposed to be kept up to date, a future release of the package may add more Breaks. This could potentially be a security risk if a user installs the backport, it stops updating when a later version adds a Breaks: on something they have installed, and they hence don't get a later security fix. However, the absence of a backport is likely to cause users to obtain the package by non-Debian means (e.g. pip or conda) that default to no automatic updates.

[0] https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=826095
[1] https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=931557


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