Re: problems with binary NMU and apt

[Joey Hess <joey@kitenet.net>]

Simon Richter wrote:
> Hrm, I just tried to build a package using
> 
> DH_OPTIONS=--dpkg-gencontrol-params=-v0.1-1.0.1 dpkg-buildpackage -B
> 
> In principle this could work, however current debhelper treats
> --dpkg-gencontrol-params as equivalent to -u in
> Debian::Debhelper::Dh_Getopt, so the -v option get passed to dpkg as well.

I'm afraid that what you're trying to do is not something I can sanely
support with debhelper's current method of option parsing. I could
support it, but the level of pain and ugliness and added cruftiness in
debhelper's code required would be greater than the gain of being able
to do that, in my opinion. I may be able to support this better in the
next interation of debhelper's options parsing code, but I haven't even
fully designed that yet.

Also, all methods of passing parameters to wrapped programs, via -u or
--dpkg-gencontrol-params or similar things, are mildly deprecated, in
favour of passing the parameters after '--'. The latter works much
better and is less ugly and more clear.

I also have to wonder if it is a good idea at all to build a binary
NMU in this way. Yes, you have not modified the source, but nobody will
be able to reproduce the build without using the exact same command line
you used to build it, and that command line will not be recorded
anyhere. It may technically be a binary-only NMU that does not modify
the source, but you're walking a very thin line, and I don't know that
the distinction between doing this and modifying debian/rules or
debian/control has any value.

-- 
see shy jo