Re: Headsup: ncurses soname bump 5 to 6

[Adeodato Simó <dato@net.com.org.es>]

* Daniel Baumann [Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:21:44 +0200]:

> Hi,

Daniel,

> just a quick note: after lenny, ncurses will bump soname major from 5 to
> 6 in order to make mouse wheels work. The transition will be big, but
> can be entirely handled with binNMUs only and this is what this mail is
> about:

> There is no hurry, but please start using soname-independent
> build-depends on ncurses as 'libncurses-dev | libncurses5-dev' in your
> next uploads.

By dropping any mention to libncurses5-dev from your new packages, what
your are proposing is:

  * a transition where 400 sourceful uploads need to go into testing at
    the same time. This is incredibly painful, and there is no way I'm
    going to manage that (and good luck finding a release team member
    who will).

  PLUS

  * 400 more insta RC bugs in unstable, 300+ of which would affect
    testing. This is also very bad, and unacceptable, for obvious
    reasons.

Now, let's try to be constructive. You can:

  * make, as Steve suggests, your libncurses-dev package Provide:
    libncurses5-dev (and libncursesw5-dev as well if appropriate). With
    that, then only 11 packages require an upload (the ones with
    versioned Build-Dependencies).

    In this case, you are also welcome to file 400 bugs at any non-RC
    severity asking for a change in the Build-Depends. They should be
    NMUable as well, if you'd like to push for dropping the Provides in
    Squeeze+1 (or even in Squeeze if you're fast).

    This path still leaves a very painful transition on the shoulders of
    the release team, but not as painful.

  OR

  * introduce a ncurses5 source package. Then not all 400 packages need
    to go into testing at the same time, they just can trickle as they
    get built. This would be very good, *and* we'd work together with
    you to ensure such source package disappears before Squeeze (we'd
    w-b massage, you'd file bugs for FTBFS, and NMU as necessary). (¹)

If you insist on your way, please explain it why you insist instead of
accepting either of the proposals above.

  (¹) Independently of whether we use this method of not, I think
      introducing a ncurses5 source package providing /just the
      libraries and not the development packages/ could be a good idea,
      in order for people to be able to run binaries obtained
      elsewhere...

Cheers,

-- 
Adeodato Simó                                     dato at net.com.org.es
Debian Developer                                  adeodato at debian.org
 
To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best night and
day to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle
any human being can fight and never stop fighting.
                -- e.e. cummings