Re: RFS: b5

[Justin Pryzby <justinpryzby@users.sourceforge.net>]

On Tue, Feb 28, 2006 at 05:55:13PM +0200, Panu Kalliokoski wrote:
> On Tue, Feb 28, 2006 at 04:32:16PM +0100, Thijs Kinkhorst wrote:
> > Native packages should ideally only be packages that have no real use
> > outside of Debian.
> 
> Really?  I've never seen such a guideline (although I admit it's been a
> long time since I read the relevant documents).  In fact, the Debian
> Developer's Reference, section 5.4, seems to suggest that the difference
> is purely technical and has no political or social implications.  If you
> could show me some document that explains whether and why native
> packages are not preferred for software that could live outside Debian,
> I'd appreciate that very much.
I think the reason is that native packages can't be pristine, and
pristine packages are preferred.
  http://www.us.debian.org/doc/developers-reference/ch-best-pkging-practices.en.html#s-bpp-origtargz
> 
> > The same goes for packages bfc, python-selecting, sokoedit, stx2any:
> > why are these Debian native packages? All of these do not seem to be
> 
> Because when you are the upstream author, native packages are easier to
> maintain and build, and because I can't see any possible harm done by
> building a package as a native package, I have been distributing my
> own projects as native Debian packages.
You can manage debian/ in the same project, in the same repo, and make
it a nonnative, pristine package, with an empty .diff.gz.

Justin