Re: [PATCH] don't delete debian directory in official debian builds

[Andres Salomon]

On Sun, 2004-08-15 at 09:15 +0200, Sam Ravnborg wrote:
> On Sat, Aug 14, 2004 at 03:39:03PM -0400, Andres Salomon wrote:
> > Hi,
> > 
> > Somewhere along the 2.6 series, there was a change made that causes
> > distclean to automatically delete the debian/ subdirectory from the top
> > of the kernel tree.  This causes grief for the official debian kernel
> > packages; the debian directory shouldn't be deleted in the packages.
> > Please apply the attached patch; it causes the debian/ subdirectory to
> > only be deleted if there's no debian/official.
> > 
> > An even better solution would be to mark the debian directory as being
> > created by the kernel (touch debian/linus), and only delete it if the
> > kernel created it.
> 
> Such special cases are not acceptable.
> 

This isn't a special case; this is debian using a directory for years,
and the kernel suddenly deciding to not only use the same directory, but
assume ownership of it and delete it when distcleaning.  By providing a
rule that creates a debian package, you've managed to inconvenience the
people who actually create and maintain the main system your debian
package would run on.  Please take this into consideration.


> If this causes a problem then there are the following options:
> 1) Rename directory in debian or the kernel
> 2) Debian apply a patch to the kernel

How about not deleting the directory if you haven't created it?  Debian
already applies patches to the kernel, but we feed changes/fixes back to
linus and co; this is one of those fixes that should be in the main
kernel.  If you're going to provide a make rule for *Debian*, then make
it consistent with Debian packaging standards.  Otherwise, why even
bother?  Debian has its own supported methods for creating kernel
packages (named, oddly enough, kernel-package).

Honestly, I'd rather see the deb rule removed completely; Debian and
Debian-derived distributions provide their own kernel packages.  Users
who compile their own kernel have the option of using a Debian supported
method for building kernel packages (they can also simply copy images
around, without bothering w/ packages).  Generating a package without
kernel-package is not supported; does it even handle grub and lilo
updates in postinst?


> 
> Preference to 1).

I'm not quite sure what you mean w/ #1.  You want Debian, which has used
the debian/ subdirectory for years, to use something else for its kernel
packages?


> 
> Comments?
> 
> 	Sam
-- 
Andres Salomon <dilinger@xxxxxxxxx>

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