Re: Packaged PPower4
Rogério Brito <rbrito@ime.usp.br> schrieb:
> On Oct 29 2004, Cameron Patrick wrote:
>> Rogério Brito wrote:
>> > The problem was that upstream didn't include a tarball. All he distributes
>> > is the jar file, a wrapper shell script for calling the jar file (which I
>> > adapted to meet things that I would think that would be reasonable in
>> > Debian) and a bunch of style files. I also had to grab the manual
>> > separately.
>>
>> Whoah. So there's no source code? Presumably your package is going
>> in non-free then? The jar file distributed by upstream contains GPL
>> code (GNU getopt) without source, so it probably isn't distributable
>> even in non-free.
>
> Well, it seems that there is, but I could not find it. And I'm still a
> rookie regarding anything related to Java programs.
They write on their website:
,----
| For those who would like to have a look into the processor and the PDF
| library. If you only want to run the program, you do not need all
| this. But to compile the stuff, you have to install first ant for
| controlling the build and JUnit for unit tests.
|
| For now we still need some more time to prepare the sources to work
| smoothly outside our development environment. If you already got ant and
| JUnit you can send a mail to request that if you are really in need of
| this. I am sorry for this delay.
`----
I am no GPL expert, but IIRC it is okay if the source code is made
available on request. Of course after that, it would be in the Debian
archive.
>> You might want to ask the author for the source since it's apparently
>> GPLed.
>
> Yes, I will try to get in contact with the author (and also tell him that
> I'm packaging his program). I packaged PPower4 the way I did because I
> wanted to get a package working quickly and also because I didn't find the
> sources at <http://www.ctan.org/tex-archive/support/ppower4/download.html>.
For the package to be in Debian, it is not only necessary that the
source is available, it must also be possible to compile the jar file
from the source. This is important e.g. when there is a security bug,
which we would have to fix even in the possible ancient version included
in a the stable Debian release, when upstream is only fixing the current
version.
Regards, Frank
--
Frank Küster
Inst. f. Biochemie der Univ. Zürich
Debian Developer
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