Re: lacie-uboot : Please review the description
Maxime Hadjinlian wrote:
> I'm in the process of packaging my first debian package, it will be
> named lacie-uboot (if it's accepted of course) and the description I
> wanted to add to the package was :
>
> Description : lacie u-boot netconsole shell
Well, for a start it needs to be "LaCie U-Boot".
> While filing the ITP (#692894), I was advised by Christian Perrier to
> make my package description reviewed by you and so the reason for this
> mail.
>
> The purpose of the package is to help the user create an interactive
> shell with the U-Boot netconsole of any LaCie product and so being
> able to toy with its boot process.
Doesn't it have a *long* description? It's rather pointless trying to
review just the synopsis line. https://github.com/maximeh/plum has
some material you could use as a basis for a long description:
# plum - Python LaCie das U-Boot Milchkuh
# ---------------------------------------
# plum let you connect to the U-Boot netconsole of any newgen LaCie
# product. It include a mini TFTP server. It is written in Python and
# designed to be easy to use.
#
# Available tools include:
#
# * plum : A simple U-Boot netconsole client.
# * capsup : A simple script using plum to update your system and/or
# bootloader.
#
# plum support the --help option to present the usage summary to the
# user.
#
# The best way to use plum is to previously install it using :
(and from here on it's useless as a Debian package description).
This has a few minor language issues, but more importantly it takes
too much for granted. Remember, the people reading this may never
have heard of the problem that this software was invented to solve!
What sort of hardware is it talking about? Looking up lacie.com I see
they sell everything from LCD monitors to USB cables; but I'm going to
guess you are particularly talking about NAS devices.
What does the description of capsup mean by "update your system"? Why
would you need to "update your bootloader"? Again, I have no idea
what problem this software is designed to solve. And why is it called
capsup?
The last line of the github description says:
# Note
# ----
# plum comes with opentfptd, it's a TFTP server written in C++ by
# Achal Dhir
So lacie-uboot incorporates a fork of opentfptd? That sounds like a
bad idea - wouldn't it make more sense for the package to express a
Recommends on one of the several TFTP servers already available in
Debian?
Downloading it I see some more useful information in capsup's usage
output: "Update a LaCie NAS system with the given file", "MAC address
of the product to flash". But I also notice it hardcodes paths like
"/usr/local/etc/opentftp.ini". That looks like a bug!
Here's a rough first draft:
Description: LaCie U-Boot netconsole shell
LaCie newgen network storage products offer a U-Boot netconsole which
can be used to configure the device remotely. This package provides an
easy-to-use interactive netconsole client and associated tools:
* plum - a simple U-Boot netconsole client written in Python;
* capsup - a script using plum to flash the bootloader.
* opentftpd - a TFTP server.
(I've avoided mentioning the difference in naming between "PLUM" and
"lacie-uboot", partly because expanding the acronym just raises more
questions. I can work out why it's a Milchkuh, but why is it "das"?)
--
JBR with qualifications in linguistics, experience as a Debian
sysadmin, and probably no clue about this particular package
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