Re: Intent to package seg3d-- need mentoring/advice?
Hi Robert,
thanks for your interest in Debian Med.
On Thu, Mar 26, 2015 at 05:02:58PM -0400, Robert Blake wrote:
> To whom it may concern:
>
> I would like to package seg3d
> (http://www.sci.utah.edu/cibc-software/seg3d.html) for the
> debian-med PPA and eventually debian unstable.
I'd consider it more valuable if we target directly to Debian
(unstable).
> I have a package
> called "seg3d" in progress here:
>
> https://launchpad.net/~rob.c.blake.3/+archive/ubuntu/trayanova-cep
Without checking the content you seem to have some packaging skills
which allow you to create some working package.
> I'm running into some difficulties:
>
> 1.) Upstream has bundled 14 libraries into their tarball and is
> resistant to change this. See
>
> https://lists.debian.org/debian-med/2013/05/msg00052.html
>
> I have written a patch that allows a debian packager to ignore all
> these libraries and substitute in debian package equivalents.
That's pretty cool!
> I have tested the patch extensively for the past 3+ months with no
> stability problems.
Good.
> Given the extent of the software included (i.e. all of boost,
> python, itk, etc) I have no idea how to write a proper
> debian/copyright file.
I admit writing the copyright file is usually the most boring part in
packaging but it needs to be done anyway. Otherwise it will not pass
ftpmaster who will upload to the Debian packaging pool.
Since you said you have found a patch to enable using the packaged
libraries it would be the best idea to strip all unused code from the
upstream tarball using the Files-Excluded field in debian/copyright (see
`man uscan`). This makes you really sure that this code is not used and
saves you from the work to mention all the files in your d/copyright
file. Moreover I'd recommend the command licensecheck to parse upstream
code for copyright and license statements. Just let us know here on the
list if these hints might not be sufficient.
> 2.) After adding a seg3d.desktop to the build, I can't get the icon
> to appear properly for Gnome or KDE.
Hmmm, I admit I'm no expert in this. If nobody else here on this list
has any clue asking on debian-mentors list might help. However, before
you target this list it would be probably helpful to move you work to a
Git archive of the Debian Med team on alioth. How this can be
approached is explained in our team policy[1].
> 3.) This is my first time packaging anything, so I am blind to many
> debian best practices. I've never written a manpage, etc. I would
> love an extra set of eyes on what I'm doing so that I can file an
> ITP with unstable.
>
> I read the MoM guideline linked previously this month. Is there any
> way I could sign up?
Usually you sign up by adding a line to the table on the MoM page.
However, I need to check whether Malihe Asemani who is in the MoM queue
and wanted to take the April slot wants to really start in April (as she
told me in private mail recently). For sure we will not leave you alone
if you ask questions here on this list and perhaps the hints given above
might bring you on track easily but I'd like to make sure that we
somehow keep the proper sequence in the MoM effort.
Kind regards
Andreas.
[1] http://debian-med.alioth.debian.org/docs/policy.html
--
http://fam-tille.de
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