Re: How package a binary library with unversioned soname?

[Ben Finney <bignose+hates-spam@benfinney.id.au>]

Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org> writes:

> It's section 2.2.3.  See also the last sentence of section 2.

Thanks.

    <URL:http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-non-free>

    In addition, the packages in non-free
    [...]

    * must meet all policy requirements presented in this manual that
      it is possible for them to meet. [3]

    <URL:http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/footnotes.html#f3>

    [...]
    3: It is possible that there are policy requirements which the
    package is unable to meet, for example, if the source is
    unavailable. These situations will need to be handled on a
    case-by-case basis.

So, is the case of "can't change the software to have a version
soname" one that meets the "the source code is unavailable" exception,
above?

If it is exempt, it's pretty trivial to say that any
source-unavailable software is generally going to be violating the
policy all over the place, simply because it can't be modified to make
it meet policy.

If it is not exempt, and the OP is accurate in their assessment of the
likelihood to get upstream to change, then the software would not meet
the requirement above and would violate policy.

-- 
 \               "Holy bouncing boiler-plated fits, Batman!"  -- Robin |
  `\                                                                   |
_o__)                                                                  |
Ben Finney