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Re: About new source formats for packages without patches



On Wed, 31 Mar 2010 12:29:01 +1100, Ben Finney <ben+debian@benfinney.id.au> wrote:
> Specifically, a behaviour of *recognising* that a package is in source
> format 1.0. That's a fact of that package in that state, that shouldn't
> change just because time has passed.
> 
> In other words, a source package left as it was from five years ago
> (i.e., with no source format declaration) is still source format 1.0
> five years ago, today, in ten years, and in a hundred years; because the
> passage of time doesn't change the format that the source package is in.

Yes, the source package, being the .dsc and associated components is
still in source format 1.0. It also states that it is, with "Format:
1.0" in said .dsc file.

The unpacked source package has no format, it's a directory on disk with
certain properties. You could take that directory and produce a source
package in any number of formats.

The debian/source/format is then not a declaration of what format the
directory is in, but what format the tools should produce when creating
a source package from it.

What we are talking about is what the maintainer of the package wants
to happen when they produce the source package.

Anything that actually cares that if it unpacks and rebuilds a source
package it will use the same format can just request the same format as
the source package declares in the .dsc.

If the maintainer wishes to stick on 1.0 in 10 years time when the
project has moved on then why shouldn't they have to request that
somehow?

Thanks,

James


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