Bug#45561: PROPOSAL] tech-ctte: /usr/share/doc

[Joey Hess <joey@kitenet.net>]

Julian Gilbey wrote:
> > The technical committee has been asked to resolve the issue of what to do
> > with /usr/share/doc.  I propose we actually adopt their decision.  I
> > propose further that we don't bother to have discussion--we're past all
> > that.  The decision has been made and while possibly not the best one,
> > it's the one that is currently being used by debhelper and is the one
> > handed down to us.
> > 
> > As for the technical implementation of the tech-ctte decision, I propose
> > we use joeyh's implementation found in any recently uploaded debhelper
> > package.
> 
> Let's do it already.

I think someone needs to write a policy diff. It can use how debhelper does
things as the reccomended method, without metioning debhelper. For example:

  Each package must maintain a /usr/doc/<package> symlink that points to
  the new location of its documentation in /usr/share/doc. The symlink must
  be created when the package is installed; it cannot be contained in the
  package itself due to problems with dpkg. One reasonable way to accomplish
  this is to put the following in the package's postinst:
  
  if [ "$1" = "configure" ]; then
  	if [ -d /usr/doc -a ! -e /usr/doc/#PACKAGE# -a -d /usr/share/doc/#PACKAGE# ]; then
		ln -sf ../share/doc/#PACKAGE# /usr/doc/#PACKAGE#
  	fi
  fi
  
  And the following in the package's prerm:
  
  if [ \( "$1" = "upgrade" -o "$1" = "remove" \) -a -L /usr/doc/#PACKAGE# ]; then
  	rm -f /usr/doc/#PACKAGE#
  fi

-- 
see shy jo