Best Packaging Practices, act II

[Raphael Hertzog <hertzog@debian.org>]

Hi,

I have an initial list of Best Packaging Practices that I want to
document within the developers' reference. I created empty sections
in the CVS tree. If you want to get it, here are the instructions :
$ export CVSROOT=:pserver:anonymous@cvs.debian.org:/cvs/debian-doc
$ cvs login
[ empty password ]
$ cvs co ddp/manuals.sgml/developers-reference

I need volunteers to write the texts of those sections. I have put
some general information of what needs to be written in each section
based on the feedback I have already received.

Here's the list of sections that (still) have to be written, I have
included some questions, please provide me an answer if you know any.

Packaging tools and common cases :
* Managing multiple patches
  - dbs package
  - hello-dbs is an example
  - is there another tool that doesn't require to provide a tar archive
    in the source package ?
* Multiple binary package
  (subcase: Package with multiple configure/make cycles)
  - speak of dh_install
    which example package ?
  - other "custom" example: vim
* Managing a package with CVS
  - use cvs-buildpackage
  - updating sources from CVS with a "debian/rules refresh"
  - example packages ?
* Handling debconf translations 
  (Denis Barbier will write it)

Specific packages :
* Packaging libraries 
  - pointer to junichi's libpkg-guide
    http://www.netfort.gr.jp/~dancer/column/libpkg-guide/
* Links to sub-policies and name of example packages (perl, python, ocaml,
  java, emacs)
  - ocaml:
    /usr/share/doc/ocaml/ocaml_packaging_policy.gz
    example camlzip source package
  - perl:
    http://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/perl-policy/
    libdbd-pg-perl binary package, libmldbm-perl arch all package
  - emacs:
    http://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/debian-emacs-policy
    example package ?
  - java:
    http://people.debian.org/~opal/java/policy.html/
    example package ?
  - python:
    /usr/share/doc/python/python-policy.txt.gz in python package
    example package ?
* Packaging kernel modules/patches
  - use of kernel-package
  - modules configuration with /etc/modutils/<package> file
  - examples: alsa, pcmcia

Configuration management :
* Providing customized configuration files
  - the ucf utility
  - using a template mechanism (coupled with debconf input)
  - using a conf.d directory style
  - any good examples for those ?
* The wise use of debconf
  - debconf-devel(8) is a MUST read
* Packaging software which require a database (pg/mysql).
  - The software may require a database that you need to setup.
    But the database may be local or distant. Thus you can't depend
    on a database server but just on the corresponding library...
  - example: sympa ?

If you want to take the responsibility for one of those items, just
reply and announce your intent to write the text.

Cheers,
-- 
Raphaël Hertzog -+- http://strasbourg.linuxfr.org/~raphael/
Formation Linux et logiciel libre : http://www.logidee.com


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