Bug#39299: PROPOSAL] permit/require use of bz2 for source packages

[Goswin Brederlow <goswin.brederlow@student.uni-tuebingen.de>]

Chris Lawrence <cnlawren@olemiss.edu> writes:

> Package: debian-policy
> Version: 2.5.1.0
> Severity: normal

SECONED.

> Therefore, I propose that we permit the use of bzip2 to compress
> source package files (.orig.tar and .diff for most packages, .tar for
> native packages).  I further propose that the use of bzip2 be
> mandatory for newly uploaded source files, and that any existing
> source packages in the archive in gzip format exceeding 5 MB of
> compressed space be converted upon the freeze for potato.

I would like that for deb files as well. The average cpu speed amd
memory today is so high that uncompressing of bzip2 files is as fast a 
the average CD-Rom. All people with slow connections, i.e. <10 MBit,
will love you for reducing size, especially when they pay per byte or
second.

But this proposal will get problems with pristine upstream sources.

Also this proposal should be extended to say that md5sums and
signatures should be for uncompressed files, i.e. for the orig.tar and 
not the orig.tar.bz2 or orig.tar.gz. That way the files could
recompressed as one likes.

May the Source be with you.
			Goswin