Answers to "Why is package X not in testing yet?"

[Björn Stenberg <bjorn@haxx.se>]

Hi.

Since I couldn't find this anywhere, I have written a script that parses
update_excuses.html and update_output.txt and tries to give human-readable
answers to questions in the form "Why is package X not in testing yet?"

The script can be ran here: http://bjorn.haxx.se/debian/

You enter a package name, and it tells you the reasons why it's not in testing
yet. It also does recursive checks, such as:

Checking libbonoboui

- libbonoboui is waiting for gnome-vfs2
- gnome-vfs2 is waiting for fam
- Inserting fam breaks 194 other packages (alpha: amor, ark, [..]

(The number of broken packages listed is the lowest number found in
update_output.txt.)

As a trivia item, the script also outputs a top list of which packages the
greatest number of other packages depend on. Like this:

174 packages wait for perl (77 days old, Valid candidate, breaks 199 pkgs)
140 packages wait for python2.2 (43 days old, Valid candidate, breaks 50 pkgs)
113 packages wait for qt-x11-free (57 days old, Not considered, has 1 RC bugs)
108 packages wait for gnome-vfs2 (47 days old, Valid candidate, breaks 7 pkgs)
102 packages wait for libgnome (0 days old, Not considered, )
99 packages wait for libbonoboui (59 days old, Not considered, )
98 packages wait for libgnomeui (50 days old, Not considered, )
71 packages wait for gnutls5 (20 days old, Valid candidate, breaks 12 pkgs)
68 packages wait for gcc-3.3 (5 days old, Not considered, )

The update* files are downloaded every morning (CET). The script source code
(150 lines of perl) is available on the page if anyone wants to have a look.

Maybe something like this would be useful to have on the devel/testing page.

-- 
Björn