On Sun, Jun 25, 2017 at 02:08:05PM -0700, Russ Allbery wrote: > Concerns, objections, seconds? Thank you for working on this. > + A native package is software written specifically for Debian > + whose canonical distribution format is as a Debian package. > + Native packages have no separate upstream source in their > + source package representation and no separate Debian > + revision in their version numbers. Native packages are an > + exception: most Debian packages are "non-native" and have > + source packages composed of an upstream software release and > + separate Debian-specific modifications. Native packages are also used for software that is intended for use beyond Debian, but where the upstream maintainer also maintains the Debian package. In such cases, the Debian revision and orig tarballs represent needless overhead (tweaks to the packaging can use an increment to the minor version number, or similar). Some people frown upon this practice, but there are more than one of us that do it, so probably worth mentioning in policy as a secondary use of native packages (possibly a footnote, due to lack of consensus? There is certainly not a consensus that it's terrible). -- Sean Whitton
Attachment:
signature.asc
Description: PGP signature