Re: common source package for use in Debian and Ubuntu

[Joachim Wiedorn <ad_debian@joonet.de>]

Raphael Hertzog <hertzog@debian.org> wrote on 2011-01-18 09:03:

> On Tue, 18 Jan 2011, Joachim Wiedorn wrote:
> 
> > Now my questions:
> > 
> > 1. is this a good way for switching contol file? 
> >    It must switch the maintainer lines because Ubuntu has another policy.
> 
> No. Ubuntu doesn't change maintainer fields if the package in Ubuntu
> doesn't have modifications compared to Debian. If you do the work to have
> all Ubuntu specific changes in common source package there's really no
> need to have a different control file.
This is new for me. I took the changes which were made from the Ubuntu
developer who created the Ubuntu package of lilo. But without different
control files it is easier.

> > 2. this way is not the best for the changelog file because every change
> >    in debian/changelog must copied into the both other changelogs. 
> >    Does anyone know a better way ?
> 
> Again, the same changelog file is used when there's a common source
> package. No customization needed here.
Ok, but how should I manage the last changelog entry (in time frame and 
in handling)?

Debian should have e.g: 

   lilo (1:23.1-1) unstable; urgency=low
   :
   
and then Ubuntu should have e.g:

   lilo (1:23.1-1ubuntu1) natty; urgency=low
   :
   
   lilo (1:23.1-1) unstable; urgency=low
   :

and the last Ubuntu changelog usually have some ubuntu specific bug fix
entries. Or should I write the ubuntu bugfixes into the Debian part of
changelog?

> > 4. Can I let all Ubuntu changelog parts (beside the very last) inside 
> >    the changelog of Debian? Then changelog.Debian would be unnecessary.
> 
> It's quite common to have some bits of Ubuntu history in official Debian
> packages... but mainly for packages created by Ubuntu and then integrated
> in Debian.
> 
> If you want to keep the Ubuntu history now that you create a common source
> package, why not. It's up to you I guess.
It was a wish of the Ubuntu developer. So I think I can copy the Ubuntu
changelogs in the changelog of the common package.

Thanks for your valuable help.

---
Have a nice day.

Joachim (Germany)