Re: Configure your PC to contribute to Debian community
Vipul writes:
> I've been using Debian from couples of years but haven't contributed
> yet back to community. I want to contribute to Debian by maintaining
> packages and fixing bugs. Since I'm using Debian for work purpose also
> so, I don't want to mess-up with my system by installing unstable
> packages or libraries. Is there a way to get isolation for work &
> contribution purpose to keep yourself organized
> I can get isolation by using Docker image or install one more copy
> of Debian in PC and switch between them but that would be painful. I
> want to hear from contributors & maintainers Which method they are
> using or prefer to get isolation?
You can use pretty much anything you prefer; it also depends on what you
are using it for: there is no single solution for all needs.
If you are already familiar with Docker, using that as a container for
development or for building packages is fine. There is also the
"whalebuilder" program to build Debian packages using Docker; it should
be comparable to pbuilder or sbuild (I haven't used whalebuilder myself
though).
Using schroot is also okay; though Docker provides more isolation and
might be easier to use.
I'm using systemd-nspawn for running full systems including multiple
services (daemons); Docker or schroot usually only run one program in a
container. There are also alternatives like lxc.
Finally for most isolation there are virtual machines; they provide even
more isolation, but are also more complicated to use (transferring
files, changing resource allocations (disk size, RAM), initial setup).
Though if you try potentially destructive things, doing so in a VM is
probably much better than breaking your production system :-)
Ansgar
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