Re: Transition from dpkg to GNU install-info
On Fr, 13 Mär 2009, Raphael Hertzog wrote:
> I guess so. Asking for review/test on -devel is certainly a good idea at
> this point.
I have prepared a document/email. Can one of you take a look at that and
extend/clarify/whatever it?
For testing I always put up the lastest experimental source at the usual
place, is there a way to get dpkg with your patch?
Best wishes
Norbert
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Dr. Norbert Preining <preining@logic.at> Vienna University of Technology
Debian Developer <preining@debian.org> Debian TeX Group
gpg DSA: 0x09C5B094 fp: 14DF 2E6C 0307 BE6D AD76 A9C0 D2BF 4AA3 09C5 B094
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`If there's anything more important than my ego around, I
want it caught and shot now.'
--- Zaphod.
--- Douglas Adams, The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy
Announce and RFC: Replace dpkg install-info with GNU install-info
The dpkg and TeX Team will replace dpkg install-info with GNU install-info.
For that we have prepared a transition plan, testing packages, and now
we would like to ask for review and comments before we upload to unstable.
The general layout is as follows:
- dpkg ships a new /usr/sbin/install-info that will warn the
user if called with an absolute path, and then as well as in the normal
case call
/usr/bin/install-info
with the very same arguments.
- The source package texinfo builds a new binary package
install-info
that provides /usr/bin/install-info (a script, see below), and
as before /usr/bin/ginstall-info, the real GNU install-info.
- The script /usr/bin/install-info will check whether it was called from
a maintainer script (by checking for $DPKG_RUNNING_VERSION) and if it is
it warns but does not do anything else due to the implementation of
triggers.
If it is not called from a maintainer script it gives a warning that this
is not dpkg install-info any more and calls ginstall-info with the very
same arguments.
- The install-info package shows interest in the file/dir trigger in
/usr/share/info/. If any file is dropped there the triggered action
of the package is called which is calling
update-info-dir
- The script /usr/sbin/update-info-dir is new and will regenerate the dir
file from the set of all installed info documents by calling ginstall-info
on each of them
This last step currently breaks the inclusion of about 50 info documents from
all about 580 currently in sid. These package will still work but will
not appear in the global dir index (so "info jargon" will work, but it
will not be found in the dir file). We will file bugs against these packages
to fix the texi input file to get a proper info-dir entry.
Time line:
- inform the maintainers of info-browsers about the fact that they
should now depend on install-info
- upload texinfo with the install-info to sid
- upload a new dpkg with breaks against the various info-browsers
- file bugs against all the info shipping packages with problematic info
files
Open questions:
- the file trigger should be mentioned in the policy
- review of update-info-dir script
Thanks for any comments or suggestions
Norbert Preining
Links:
- tansition document from an earlier transition plan
http://wiki.debian.org/Transitions/DpkgToGnuInstallInfo
- svn branch of texinfo package
svn://svn.debian.org/debian-tex/texinfo/branches/split-ii
- thread on the discussion
http://lists.debian.org/debian-dpkg/2009/03/msg00019.html
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