Re: maint-guide updates

[Justin B Rye <jbr@edlug.org.uk>]

Osamu Aoki wrote:
>   <sect id="sourcel"><file>source/local-options</file> file
> 
>   <p>If you wish to build your package directly in a directory checked out from
>   a VCS repository containing unpatched upstream source with the
>   <file>debian/*</file> tree for the Debian packaging and to keep it clean after
>   a package build, you should create an optional
>   <file>debian/source/local-options</file> file in it containing
>   "<tt>--unapply-patches</tt>".  This file is not included in the generated
>   source package and changes the local build behavior only
>   (see <manref name="dpkg-source" section="1">).
>
>   <p>You do not need to run "<tt>quilt pop -a</tt>" anymore before committing
>   to the VCS.
>
> Any comment?  I think sentences in the first paragraph is too long and
> better served by shorter sentences.

It's mostly good en_US, though there are a couple of places where
I'd change a definite article to indefinite or vice versa; you're
right that it needs a simpler "if" clause, though.  This is phrased
as if it's telling me what I should do if I want to run my build in
a particular context (which is assumed to exist); should it instead
be saying "if the upstream source contains..."?  That would be
something like:

    <p>If the build directory checked out from upstream's VCS repository contains
    unpatched upstream source with a <file>debian/*</file> tree for the Debian
    packaging, and you want to keep it clean after a package build, you should
    create the optional <file>debian/source/local-options</file> file in it
    containing "<tt>--unapply-patches</tt>".  This file is not included in the
    generated source package and changes the local build behavior only (see
    <manref name="dpkg-source" section="1">).

-- 
JBR	with qualifications in linguistics, experience as a Debian
	sysadmin, and probably no clue about this particular package