Re: Non-source Javascript files in upstream source

[Ben Finney <ben@benfinney.id.au>]

Neil Williams <codehelp@debian.org> writes:

> Ben Finney <ben@benfinney.id.au> wrote:
> > Wouter Verhelst <wouter@debian.org> writes:
> > > If a dependency and a symlink exists, however, it's clear that the
> > > maintainer meant to say "source is over there".
>
> As I've tried to show above, "over there" is not helpful. "over there"
> can go away, can be updated and cannot be verified as the actual code
> needed by the package. "over there" doesn't help anyone fix installs
> on older boxes which have suddenly stopped working.

I think Wouter is referring to “over there” as the destination of the
symlink. In other words, this isn't a proposal for linking outside
Debian for the source; the hypothetical symlink is to a file provided
by some other Debian package.

> > The maintainer may intend [an assertion that the source for some
> > non-source form is found in a different Debian package] to be true.
> > Without independent automated verification, we are merely guessing
> > and hoping. How can we verify independently that no such assertion
> > is false? I've described a means that is certain and simple: discard
> > the non-source form from the source package.
>
> Agreed, the source package needs to contain the JS in the preferred
> form for modification. *If* that is provided by a package at a
> supported version, then a symlink can be used (and a versioned
> dependency if the version matters as it does in some of my usecases).
>
> From upstream perspective, provide the JS in the form preferred for
> modification and minify during the package build.

That is much preferable, I agree.

It's unfortunate that many upstream projects consider “the package
build” of so little importance that they provide *only* a non-source
form of third-party files, expecting that no recipient cares to get the
full source. We need to respectfully educate them that this is not
enough.

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Ben Finney