ubuntu-packaging-guide-team team mailing list archive

[Steve Langasek <steve.langasek@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> I invented packaging-dev to easily setup a system for packagers. It should
> depend on most packages that Ubuntu developers use (including those needed
> to contribute to Debian).  It is intended for new developers who want
> everything they need.  Developers who want a minimal installation should
> install the packages selectively instead of installing packaging-dev.

> If packaging-dev depends/recommends tools that are *not* recommended by
> the Ubuntu developer community, it is a bug in packaging-dev.  Please
> raise a public discussion for those questional packages.  We already had
> some public discussion (IIRC on debian-devel) that influenced the
> depends/recommends/suggests list.

This is putting the cart before the horse.  I participated in that
discussion on debian-devel, and explicitly said that I didn't care what was
in this package because it wasn't an official recommendation.  But
apparently, this package has insinuated itself into the official Ubuntu
documentation without any kind of public comment process *in Ubuntu* about
what should be in that package.

This package in its current form is utterly unsuitable to point users at as
part of our quickstart documentation.

 - It pulls in packages that modify the host system's environment
   (piuparts).
 - It includes ORed dependencies.  If we are going to recommend this to new
   developers, it's essential that it give them a consistent environment
   that matches our documentation, and not something that may vary depending
   on what the user happens to have previously installed, leading to
   "command not found" when reading the documentation.
 - It pulls in packages that should be taken out and shot, not recommended
   to developers (cdbs, svn-buildpackage).
 - It includes a random selection of packages that are not developer tools
   at all, but instead build-dependencies that might be needed by the
   developer when running the 'clean' target of a package.  This leads
   developers down the garden path; instead of teaching them to use the
   tools in a way that will work consistently for all cases, it masks the
   problem for 95% of the packages and leaves them to trip over the last 5%.

I don't think it's useful for me to file a bug against packaging-dev for
this, because I think it's a significant philosophical departure from the
way the package is currently maintained.  Having the package maintained in a
fashion that ensures its dependencies reflect best practices as agreed by
the Ubuntu developer community at large should be a prerequisite for
pointing to it in the packaging guide.  Until that is the case, please
remove it from the documentation.

-- 
https://code.launchpad.net/~vorlon/ubuntu-packaging-guide/dont-recommend-packaging-dev/+merge/192244
Your team Ubuntu Packaging Guide Team is requested to review the proposed merge of lp:~vorlon/ubuntu-packaging-guide/dont-recommend-packaging-dev into lp:ubuntu-packaging-guide.