Package: wnpp Severity: wishlist Owner: "Adeodato Simó" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Package name : python-debian Description : python modules to work with Debian-related data formats So, uhm, hi all. I've had this in mind for about a couple weeks now, and I kinda like the idea, but I also wanted to run it by some list, so I'm doing an ITP/RFC. martin f. krafft mentioned yesterday on IRC a similar idea, which prompted me to write this mail. I. The trigger ----------- I've recently started two small projects in Python (debcache and deb2bzr) that deal with quite a bit of Debian-related data . In both, I've ended up with local copies of two fine python modules (authors CC'ed): - debian_support.py by Florian Weimer, available in the secure-testing Subversion repository [1]. The pieces I used were the 'ed-patches support', for updates to Packages files with the pdiff method, and the very sweet Version class, that implements dpkg --compare-versions in Python (but uses python-apt if available). [1] svn://svn.debian.org/secure-testing/lib/python/debian_support.py - deb822.py by dann frazier and John Wright, which has an IPT of its own, #380173. This file provides support for parsing rfc822-like files, with extra goodies like support for continuation lines (e.g. Description), and whitespace-separated-fields-in-fields (e.g. Files section in dsc and changes files). II. The what, and the possible what ------------------------------- The idea is to have a package where stuff like this can be collected: python files coming from different sources that are made available for other packages to depend on. In this scheme, the maintainer does little more than notice updates and upload updated versions (or lets authors do that themselves if they so wish). I'm CC'ing the authors of the two files above to know what they'd think of their module being incuded in the collection, particularly dann and John, who were intending to upload it in a separate package. Another possibility, probably more useful in terms of standardizing a bit programming Debian stuff in python, would be to have some time spent in integrating those files that come from different sources into something consistent, and general enough as to be useful to almost everybody. This, of course, would require that a person with time in their hands, and preferably Python knowledge and Debian insight, would step up to "maintain/write parts of" such integrated library. Like always, I guess all of us would like to use/see such library, but nobody can really commit time to writing it. There must be lots of code out there, though, that'd just need to be put together, I'd say. III. The plan -------- After writing the above, I have a bit more clear what I'd like to do, probably with modifications after receiving input on the list: * upload soonishly a python-debian package with the two files mentioned above, and any others that may get mentioned in the thread. These modules would be available in the "debian_bundle" or "debian.bundle" namespace: `from debian_bundle import deb822`. * if somebody steps up to drive the implementation of that "integrated debian python library", let them take it from there, and transfer maintenance of the above package if they so wish. If not, I'll create a bzr branch somewhere and will wait for code to merge, or for inspiration to write something myself. Will probably also create a mailing list somewhere, to drop a mail when something of interests gets merged in. After a while, either the branch will be dead, or there'll be something interesting in it. If the latter, uploading that to be provided under the "debian" namespace can be discussed, or maybe debian_v0 / debian.v0. Cheers, -- Adeodato Simó dato at net.com.org.es Debian Developer adeodato at debian.org Listening to: Maximilian Hecker - Daylight