Bug#441636: lintian: Doesn't check command line arguments properly

[Jens Seidel <jensseidel@users.sf.net>]

On Mon, Sep 10, 2007 at 12:29:45PM -0700, Russ Allbery wrote:
> Jens Seidel <jensseidel@users.sf.net> writes:
> 
> > Package: lintian
> > Version: 1.23.28
> > Severity: minor
> 
> > I tried verifying a package using lintian *.dsc and was very happy that
> > lintian did not report errors.
> 
> > Now I noticed that I have to call it with the .changes file! Why isn't
> > my error not detected?
> 
> Because lintian supports checking different things.  If you run it on a
> *.dsc file, it checks the source package.  If you run it on a *.deb file,
> it checks a binary package.  If you run it on *.changes, it checks
> everything listed in that *.changes file.  All of those ways of running
> lintian are valid.  Running it directly on source and .deb files is used
> when checking the whole archive.

Mmh, is the manpage still up-to-date?

"There are three ways to specify binary, udeb or source packages for
Lintian to process: by file name, by package name, or by naming a .changes file."

*.dsc is not a package name and not a .changes file. So it has to be a
"file name"? But does .dsc differ from .changes, both are similar files
(no package names, ...)? If .dsc is an file name this is true for
.changes as well. Please rephrase it.

OK, feel free to close the bug. I just used lintian wrong and missed a lot of
errors ...

Jens