ubuntu-packaging-guide-team team mailing list archive

[anatoly techtonik <techtonik@xxxxxxx>]

anatoly techtonik has proposed merging lp:~techtonik/ubuntu-packaging-guide/backports into lp:ubuntu-packaging-guide.

Requested reviews:
  Ubuntu Packaging Guide Team (ubuntu-packaging-guide-team)

For more details, see:
https://code.launchpad.net/~techtonik/ubuntu-packaging-guide/backports/+merge/200036

I believe that this makes backports terminologey less confusing for new users.
-- 
https://code.launchpad.net/~techtonik/ubuntu-packaging-guide/backports/+merge/200036
Your team Ubuntu Packaging Guide Team is requested to review the proposed merge of lp:~techtonik/ubuntu-packaging-guide/backports into lp:ubuntu-packaging-guide.

=== modified file 'ubuntu-packaging-guide/backports.rst'
--- ubuntu-packaging-guide/backports.rst	2012-06-26 16:02:09 +0000
+++ ubuntu-packaging-guide/backports.rst	2013-12-25 13:24:15 +0000
@@ -2,21 +2,19 @@
 Backporting software updates
 ============================
 
-Sometimes you might want to make new functionality available in a stable
-release which is not connected to a critical bug fix. For these scenarios
-you have two options: either you `upload to a PPA 
+When you want to see new version of a package in a stable release (Ubuntu in a
+"critical bug fix only" mode), there are only two options: `upload to a PPA 
 <https://help.launchpad.net/Packaging/PPA>`_ or prepare a backport.
 
 
 Personal Package Archive (PPA)
 ==============================
 
-Using a PPA has a number of benefits. It is fairly straight-forward, you
-don't need approval of anyone, but the downside of it is that your users will
-have to manually enable it. It is a non-standard software source.
+PPA is a place for your own packages, and it's the easiest way. You don't need
+approval of anyone, but your users need to manually enable downloads from it,
+because it is a non-standard software source, and not checked for security.
 
-The `PPA documentation on Launchpad`_ is fairly comprehensive and should get
-you up and running in no time.
+The `PPA documentation on Launchpad`_ should get you up and running in no time.
 
 .. _PPA documentation on Launchpad: https://help.launchpad.net/Packaging/PPA
 
@@ -24,21 +22,21 @@
 Official Ubuntu Backports
 =========================
 
-The Backports Project is a means to provide new features to users. Because of 
-the inherent stability risks in backporting packages, users do not get 
-backported packages without some explicit action on their part. This 
-generally makes backports an inappropriate avenue for fixing bugs. If a 
-package in an Ubuntu release has a bug, it should be fixed either through the 
-:doc:`Security Update or the Stable Release Update 
-process<./security-and-stable-release-updates>`, as appropriate.
-
-Once you determined you want a package to be backported to a stable release,
-you will need to test-build and test it on the given stable release. 
-``pbuilder-dist`` (in the ``ubuntu-dev-tools`` package) is a very handy tool 
-to do this easily.
-
-To report the backport request and get it processed by the Backporters team,
-you can use the ``requestbackport`` tool (also in the ``ubuntu-dev-tools``
+The Backports Project is a place to provide new major package versions to
+users of old/stable Ubuntu releases . Because of the inherent stability risks
+in backporting packages, installing backported package requires explicit
+action from users. This makes backports an inappropriate avenue for fixing
+bugs. If a package in an Ubuntu release has a bug, it should be fixed through
+the :doc:`Security Update or the Stable Release Update 
+process<./security-and-stable-release-updates>`.
+
+Once you determined a package you want to be backported to a stable release,
+you need to test-build and test it on this Ubuntu release. 
+``pbuilder-dist`` (in the ``ubuntu-dev-tools`` package) helps to do this
+easily.
+
+Then you need to send backport request and get it processed by the Backporters
+team. Use the ``requestbackport`` tool (also in the ``ubuntu-dev-tools``
 package). It will determine the intermediate releases that package needs to 
 be backported to, list all reverse-dependencies, and file the backporting 
 request.  Also will it include a testing checklist in the bug.