Re: RFC: Support for selective usage of (fake)root during package build (R³)
On Sun, Nov 05, 2017 at 08:03:00AM +0000, Niels Thykier wrote:
>...
> * Even if we could use a debhelper compat level to introduce R³, it
> would have neutered the adoption rate. We got plenty of packages,
> where maintainers want to have their package backportable to stable,
> oldstable and even oldoldstable (not to mention various Ubuntu LTS
> releases).
>...
What adoption rate and in what timeframe are you aiming at?
The oldest non-deprecated debhelper compat level 9 became the
recommended level in January 2012.
Despite lintian warning for all older compat levels and RC bugs for
some of the oldest compat levels (< 5), currently 26% of all debhelper
using packages still use older (deprecated) compat levels.
Based on this data, 75% of all packages using R³ in bullseye+2
(ETA: 2025) is the most optimistic adoption rate I can imagine
with opt-in plus lintian warning.
If you are aiming at a faster adoption rate, I'd suggest opt-in only for
early adopters testing the new feature and then switching to opt-out:
"Rules-Requires-Root: no" is an opt-in only
into testing the new feature already today.
Packages can already opt-out with "Rules-Requires-Root: binary-targets"
or "Rules-Requires-Root: <implementations-keywords>".
Remaining issues like the MakeMaker issue you mentioned get sorted out,
ideally before buster.
A build of all currently reproducible packages with the second build
defaulting to "Rules-Requires-Root: no" might be helpful for finding
remaining problems.
At some later date (ideally shortly after the release of buster)
is flag day where "Rules-Requires-Root: no" becomes the default,
including RC bugs for all packages that have to opt out but do
not yet opt out.
Since dh compat < 9 is problematic for R³, it might make sense to find
a solution for dpkg to use the old default for older dh compat levels
if the number of actual problems caused by this is not small.
Twice per release cycle we have a flag day change with 300-500 RC bugs
for a new gcc version (including some hard to resolve bugs), so assuming
there are < 1k packages that have to be fixed with the trivial one-line
opt-out change "Rules-Requires-Root: binary-targets" a flag day would
be doable.
> Thanks,
> ~Niels
cu
Adrian
--
"Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
"Only a promise," Lao Er said.
Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed
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