Am 02.01.2018 um 19:38 schrieb Russ Allbery: [...] > I think of the Standards-Version header in a package is a bookmark: this > is where I last left off in updating the packaging. It doesn't change the > standard by which the package should be judged.
I believe that the Standards-Version header should not be part of a
debian/control file. I understand your reasoning why you want to keep it
and why it is useful for you. Though in my opinion a debian/control
file, or generally speaking all information in debian/, should be hard
requirements and either technically necessary for building a package or
legally required. The Standards-Version header is a soft requirement,
someone may or may not find it useful for maintaining the package. For
team-maintained packages, which all can look very similar, updating this
header quickly becomes a repetitive task.
This is comparable to the Vcs-{Git/Svn} and Vcs-Browser fields. IMO this
kind of information should be maintained outside of debian/control
where it can be modified and controlled independently, as it is deemed
necessary by the maintainer. As people on this list have already pointed
out, updating the Standards-Version header doesn't change whether your
package is Policy-compliant or not which makes it rather expendable.
A bookmark can surely be useful in the individual case but it is not a
requirement to read or understand a book.
Regards,
Markus
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