Control: reassign -1 tech-ctte Dear Technical Committee. I don't know if you are all aware of the discussion surrounding this, so I will recap:
Recently debootstrap was changed to do merged-/usr by default, so that /bin -> /usr/bin etc. It was discovered that when this change took effect on the Debian buildds, the buildds started to build packages which do not work on non-merged-/usr systems. This is a special case of a general problem: buster systems with merged-/usr sometimes build packages which are broken on non-merged-/usr systems. Some people have suggested that this should be fixed by making merged-/usr mandatory for buster. However, there is no transition plan for this as yet and I don't think Debian is ready to commit to do that. So I believe that this change should be immediately reverted in sid and buster, so that we do not prejudge the situation by increasing the number of buster installs in the field which generate packages which are broken on non-merged-/usr systemss. I filed this bug against debootstrap but its maintainers do not agree: Julien Cristau writes ("Re: Bug#914897: debootstrap, buster: Please disabled merged /usr by default"): > We already have a change queued to revert it for build chroots. I don't > believe anything more is warranted at this stage. Obviously I disagree. I think the question is urgent. Please would you rapidly overrule the debootstrap maintainers. After we have ceased introducing new lossage we can have a proper conversation about what the plan ought to be for buster and bullseye. Ian. -- Ian Jackson <ijack...@chiark.greenend.org.uk> These opinions are my own. If I emailed you from an address @fyvzl.net or @evade.org.uk, that is a private address which bypasses my fierce spamfilter.