Re: Packaging GNUstep automatically
Hello Paul,
thanks for the answers.
Am 26.12.2013 00:56, schrieb Paul Wise:
> On Wed, Dec 25, 2013 at 10:01 PM, Markus Hitter wrote:
>
>> 2) Provide a one-stop script to GNUstep developers which allows them to
>> update Debian packages after a release. Something like ./package-release.sh
>
> That is out of scope for Debian.
Packaging is out of the scope of Debian? That's an unexpected response. :-)
> We can't help with errors without you posting the specific error logs.
If I knew where to start, which commands to try, I could tell about what
isn't working. Instead I can't find a clear path on how to make a
package, much less on how to automate this. For example, Debian and
Ubuntu instructions differ drastically. Ubuntu uses "bzr" for
everything, Debian seems to mainly using "dch", "debuild", "quilt" and
"dput".
Other GNUstep developers already provide manually built packages, like
in building sources the standard way (./configure && make && make
install), then tarring the result up. Because they consider them selfs
to be not capable enough for "proper" packages. My guess is, this isn't
helpful for either side.
>> What would be a good outline to get these weekly updates? Which
>> strategy? Is it even wanted to maintain packaging in the upstream repo?
>
> I'd take a step back and ask what the goal is.
>
> Is it QA for developers to be confident in their releases? That might
> be better done using an automated CI system like jenkins/buildbot/etc.
>
> Is it so that less technical users can test if their bugs are fixed in
> SVN? It would be more forward-thinking to train those users to be more
> technical, able to build from source and eventually become
> contributors.
I feared such an opinion. Packagers apparently think in releases only,
while volunteer driven software development no longer does such things.
Every commit improves the status, so there's no point in providing older
stuff, just because this older stuff has a tag with a number in it.
That said, trying to "train" users is considered a big no-go, we live in
an iPhone world now. If users are required to build from sources (which
is currently the case for GNUstep because packages are vintage), you've
already lost, because they won't even become users, much less developers.
If you think I'm crazy, Wine (the Windows non-emulator) does weekly
packaging, too, and it works wonderful from the user perspective.
> PS: the Debian GNUStep packagers appear to be having trouble
> maintaining GNUStep
Which trouble? I see only "needs maintainer" multiple times. The best
way to reduce the need for maintainers is to simplify the maintaining
task. Ideally to the point where it no longer needs any attention.
That's what I'm working on.
Thanks again for the answers. Go home message is "Markus, you have to
squeeze the situation into something which looks like a series of
releases.". And that packaging is indeed a rocket science. ;-)
Markus
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Dipl. Ing. (FH) Markus Hitter
http://www.reprap-diy.com/
http://www.jump-ing.de/
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