* Daniel Baumann [Tue, 16 Sep 2008 21:21:44 +0200]:
> Hi,
Daniel,
> just a quick note: after lenny, ncurses will bump soname major from 5 to
> 6 in order to make mouse wheels work. The transition will be big, but
> can be entirely handled with binNMUs only and this is what this mail is
> about:
> There is no hurry, but please start using soname-independent
> build-depends on ncurses as 'libncurses-dev | libncurses5-dev' in your
> next uploads.
By dropping any mention to libncurses5-dev from your new packages, what
your are proposing is:
* a transition where 400 sourceful uploads need to go into testing at
the same time. This is incredibly painful, and there is no way I'm
going to manage that (and good luck finding a release team member
who will).
PLUS
* 400 more insta RC bugs in unstable, 300+ of which would affect
testing. This is also very bad, and unacceptable, for obvious
reasons.
Now, let's try to be constructive. You can:
* make, as Steve suggests, your libncurses-dev package Provide:
libncurses5-dev (and libncursesw5-dev as well if appropriate). With
that, then only 11 packages require an upload (the ones with
versioned Build-Dependencies).
In this case, you are also welcome to file 400 bugs at any non-RC
severity asking for a change in the Build-Depends. They should be
NMUable as well, if you'd like to push for dropping the Provides in
Squeeze+1 (or even in Squeeze if you're fast).
This path still leaves a very painful transition on the shoulders of
the release team, but not as painful.
OR
* introduce a ncurses5 source package. Then not all 400 packages need
to go into testing at the same time, they just can trickle as they
get built. This would be very good, *and* we'd work together with
you to ensure such source package disappears before Squeeze (we'd
w-b massage, you'd file bugs for FTBFS, and NMU as necessary). (¹)
If you insist on your way, please explain it why you insist instead of
accepting either of the proposals above.
(¹) Independently of whether we use this method of not, I think
introducing a ncurses5 source package providing /just the
libraries and not the development packages/ could be a good idea,
in order for people to be able to run binaries obtained
elsewhere...
Cheers,
--
Adeodato Simó dato at net.com.org.es
Debian Developer adeodato at debian.org
To be nobody but yourself in a world which is doing its best night and
day to make you like everybody else means to fight the hardest battle
any human being can fight and never stop fighting.
-- e.e. cummings
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