Re: Source patches for packages

[Martin Schulze <joey@finlandia.Infodrom.North.DE>]

John Travers wrote:
> After just downloading another 20Mb of source from the archives on a 
> pay per minute line I was wondering if it would be possible to use
> a patch system like the kernel use. Then apt-get source could see if you had
> the original source package and merely patch it before building. This
> would *greatly* reduce download times for upgardes (GREATLY!).
> 
> What do people think on this idea, and would it be possible?

Given the amount of diskspace and the amount of work needed to
achieve this I don't belive that it would be possible.  The Linux
kernel is only one package.  It can be done for one package without
too much fiddling.  But Debian consists of about 3,000 packages.

If our packages would be stored in a central cvs repository, you
would be able to extract any patch you like, but we're far away
from that scenario, unfortunately.

Regards,

	Joey

-- 
The good thing about standards is that there are so many to choose from.
	-- Andrew S. Tanenbaum

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