Package: kernel-patch-debian-2.6.8 Version: 2.6.8-4 Severity: wishlist since this version (or maybe before), the patch does not apply to a pristine kernel anymore, but to the kernel-source... package (named, funnily enough: ".orig." even though it isn't pristine)
In my opinion, it is a logical bizzarity to provide a kernel-source-... package, which is allready patched, while at the same time to provide an other, separate, patch to change it even further. This is especially true, as the only reason (for me) for a package like kernel-patch-debian to exist is because people don't want to download the many MBytes complete sources package (as provided by kernel-source package) every time, but prefere the much smaller upgrade patch, which are not provided by debian, but only by on kernel.org I am told the problem is the illegal (following Debian rules) redistribution inside the patch file of the kernel part Debian objects to and that must be deleted inside the pristine kernel. The real problem then, is the current diff/patch combination program, which must do it this way (otherwise -R would not be possible). There should be, however, ways to patch source code without redistributing unwanted code. One methods comes to mind, which would involve distributing a separate (pre-patch) script which would simply delete (or move, allowing for removing the patch) the offending file first. The real patch pass would then regenerate that file as new, without the offending part. -R patching would then remove the new file, and a (post-patch) script would replace the original file back where it was. This would probably involve a change in kernel-package and/or kernel-patch-scripts to allow for such pre/post patch scripting. Thanks for reading, Ernest ter Kuile. -- System Information: Debian Release: 3.1 APT prefers unstable APT policy: (500, 'unstable'), (500, 'testing') Architecture: i386 (i686) Kernel: Linux 2.6.7 Locale: [EMAIL PROTECTED], [EMAIL PROTECTED] (ignored: LC_ALL set to C) Versions of packages kernel-patch-debian-2.6.8 depends on: ii bzip2 1.0.2-1 A high-quality block-sorting file -- no debconf information
