[Date Prev][Date Next] [Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

next steps after usrunmess



On Thu, Aug 26, 2021 at 02:56:21AM +0200, Guillem Jover wrote:
> On Sun, 2021-08-22 at 09:18:25 +0200, Andreas Metzler wrote:
> > Afaict we have still no idea on how to move on.
> > 
> > 1 I think you agree that there is a significant number of usrmerged Debian
> >   installations out there.
> 
> My wish would be to indeed salvage those systems,
> that's why I implemented dpkg-fsys-usrunmess.
> 
> > 2 As you have stated there are known issues with dpkg and usrmerged
> >   systems. Some of them are are triggered by moving files from / to /usr.
> 
> Well, in my mind the first and most immediate action that would be
> done, is to stop the bleeding, by:
> 
>   - reverting the changes in deboostrap in sid, bullseye (and ideally
>     in buster too),
>   - reverting the notion that split-/usr is unsupported (which includes
>     the extremely confusing interpretation about this applying to
>     sid/testing too), and update documentation such as release-notes,

This bullet point response confuses me - and then what?

If I understand your position correctly, you don't want merged-/usr as
an end-goal and you disagree with usrmerge transition as a hack. In
order to achieve the result above without bypassing Debian processes,
the formal method would to pass a GR overriding the tech-ctte minority.
Is the only reason you haven't proposed that as a GR that you've already
sunk too much energy into this? Or that you don't trust that process?

Lets say you get your wish: to achieve technical excellence the Project
backs your position and recommends running usrunmess to ensure
everyone's systems are back to split-/usr for Debian 12. However,
hypothetically, and against your better judgement, the Project still
wants the end-goal to be merged-/usr.

It seems to me that most commentators are deferring to your knowledge of
dpkg internals. Whether you call it a feature request or a long-standing
bug, what patchset would you be willing to merge into dpkg to support
the new layout? This is a similar scenario to Russ' parallel email:

On Wed, Aug 25, 2021 at 01:23:19PM -0700, Russ Allbery wrote:
> I do not believe it will be possible at this point to
> convince the project as a whole to unwind usrmerge and go back to doing
> individual package migrations.
> 
> Given that as a design constraint (we will not be doing this transition
> via one-by-one changes to each package), what would you support as a good
> architectural solution to this transition?

What is the technically excellent thing everyone else should be working
on, that you will support in dpkg despite personally disagreeing with
the end-goal of merged-/usr? Presumably this feature could also be
implemented in time for Debian 12. Would it then be possible to make
everyone's systems merged-/usr upon release of Debian 13, in 2025?

I'm sorry, you won't know me from adam, so I hope you don't interpret
this as pro-merged-/usr, but as a chance to explain how you getting your
way doesn't stand in the way of what others consider timely progress.

Attachment: signature.asc
Description: PGP signature


Reply to: