Re: Font-Awesome 5 no build system DFSG compatibility

[Ian Jackson <ijackson@chiark.greenend.org.uk>]

Simon McVittie writes ("Re: Font-Awesome 5 no build system DFSG compatibility"):
> I think this is a technical issue, but not a DFSG violation; and I think
> it would be appropriate to track it as a bug, but not a release-critical
> bug.

I have a different analysis, at least, as far as I currently
understand the situation.

What is going on here is that upstream are keeping some of the actual
source code (and yes, I think the Makefiles count - I agree with the
GPL's definition of source in this context) secret (perhaps
unintentionally).  We need to obtain it.  If we can't, then perhaps we
can produce an equivalent build sequence to replace the missing parts.

IMO for files which are built automatically by upstream, they should
be built automatically in Debian too.

> The same situation exists in any package where some hard-to-modify,
> non-executable data file (perhaps an icon) is accompanied by its
> easier-to-modify source form (perhaps in GIMP format or as a SVG) but
> a manual export step is required to transform the source form into the
> modifiable form.

This is quite different.  In those cases there is no other build
system.  When there is no other build system, then upstream are doing
the same manual thing that we are expecting ourselves, our users, and
our downstreams to do.

Thanks,
Ian.

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