Re: DEP8 tests using the built package source

[Ian Jackson <ijackson@chiark.greenend.org.uk>]

Stephen Kitt writes ("Re: DEP8 tests using the built package source"):
> (Hi Ian, I'm adding you to the discussion since I'm talking about changes to
> DEP8. I've snipped the exchanges but I hope you can get the gist of it
> without needing to spend time looking anything else up!)

Hi.  Sorry about the delay replying.

> What bothers me is that the current DEP8 spec says that packages can rely on
> having their source tree in the built state by stating "Restrictions:
> build-needed", but effectively that imposes too much of a burden on the
> testing infrastructure. (That's not a complaint, I don't think we should
> require another buildd network to run tests, at least not until we've got as
> much test code as binary-targeted source code.) It's the kind of expectation
> that makes sense in a "traditional" CI setting (e.g. Jenkins with Maven for
> Java projects, where the project is built and its tests run in the same
> environment), but with DEP8's aim of testing the installed binaries it seems
> less useful to me. Wouldn't it make sense to change DEP8 to encourage
> building whatever is strictly required for the tests, and perhaps drop
> "build-needed" altogether?

I have no objection to wording pointing out that some test runners
might skip tests which specify "build-needed".  I don't think removing
the tag entirely is a good idea.

Ian.