On Mon, Oct 08, 2001 at 06:56:57PM -0400, Steve M. Robbins wrote: > Let's be clear about the problem we're discussing. > > Certainly a package that build-depends on automake could be disturbed > by another version of automake. > > Consider a package that DOES NOT build-depend on automake. I don't > see automake in the list of "build-essentials". Is it the case that > buildd machines typically have automake available when building a > package? If not, there is no problem; the problem can only arise if a > build daemon installs automake even when not asked to do so. > > Moreover, the problem arises only when said automake is "incompatible" > with the package's source (e.g. Makefile.am). Let's give the automake > authors the benefit of the doubt: until demonstrated otherwise, I'm > going to assume that so-called "incompatibilities" arise from actual > mistakes in the upstream package sources. For example, relying on > internal automake details, patching automake- or libtool-generated > files, or the like. That is, they are relying on automake-1.4'isms. It's not the Debian maintainer's job to enforce automake 1.5 religion on upstream authors. If there are lots of people producing broken source distributions that will run automake when they shouldn't, that's both an upstream bug and evidence of failure to communicate on the part of the authors of automake. In any event, expecting Debian package maintainers to broker a peace between these parties places too great a burden on them. automake 1.4 works better than automake 1.5 for almost all the source packages in woody. Therefore automake 1.4 should remain the default. automake 1.5 should perhaps be packaged as automake1.5 for the time being, and after woody is released, the members of the Church of Automake 1.5 will be given greater latitude to request changes to upstream source code in Debian packages to accomodate their creed. In the meantime, I think most of us just want things to build. -- G. Branden Robinson | If you wish to strive for peace of Debian GNU/Linux | soul, then believe; if you wish to branden@debian.org | be a devotee of truth, then http://people.debian.org/~branden/ | inquire. -- Friedrich Nietzsche
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