Package: packaging-manual
Version: 3.1.1.1
Big bug! Thanks for spotting it. Will be fixed in an upcoming
version. Distribution should be unstable, frozen, stable or
experimental; Section should refer to main, contrib and non-free,
etc.
Julian
On Wed, May 17, 2000 at 04:56:33PM -0400, Brian Mays wrote:
> > On Wed, May 17, 2000 at 12:12:30PM -0400, Brian Mays wrote:
>
> > > Someone please help me here. How do I upload a new version of a
> > > package to the non-free part of the frozen distribution? If I use
> > > "frozen" in the heading of the changelog entry, it will be stuck in
> > > the main distribution; if I use "non-free", it will be placed in the
> > > non-free section of the unstable distribution. How do I specify
> > > both "frozen" and "non-free" at the same time?
>
> Julian Gilbey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> replied:
>
> > Read the packaging manual.
>
> I did, and that's the problem. I suggest that the packaging manual
> needs to be changed.
>
> > In the changelog, you state the distribution (unstable, frozen,
> > stable, experimental or some combination of these). In the
> > debian/control file you state the Section: non-free/* and Priority: of
> > the package.
>
> I realize that this is the correct way of doing things, but how in the
> hell do you get this from reading the packaging manual? Here is what
> the packaging manual ACTUALLY says. I am quoting from version 3.1.1.1
> of the packaging manual (dated 1999-11-22), which AFAIK is the latest
> version of this document.
>
> Here is what the packaging manual says about the the debian/changelog
> file:
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 3.2.3. `debian/changelog'
> -------------------------
>
> This file records the changes to the Debian-specific parts of the
> package [1].
>
> [1] Though there is nothing stopping an author who is also the Debian
> maintainer from using it for all their changes, it will have to
> be renamed if the Debian and upstream maintainers become
> different people.
>
> It has a special format which allows the package building tools to
> discover which version of the package is being built and find out
> other release-specific information.
>
> That format is a series of entries like this:
>
> <package> (<version>) <distribution(s)>; urgency=<urgency>
>
> * <change details>
> <more change details>
> * <even more change details>
>
> -- <maintainer name and email address> <date>
>
> <package> and <version> are the source package name and version
> number.
>
> <distribution(s)> lists the distributions where this version should be
> installed when it is uploaded - it is copied to the `Distribution'
> field in the `.changes' file. See Section 4.2.14, ``Distribution''.
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> so now I need to skip to Section 4.2.14 to find out what I should use
> for the "distribution". This is what it says:
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 4.2.14. `Distribution'
> ----------------------
>
> In a `.changes' file or parsed changelog output this contains the
> (space-separated) name(s) of the distribution(s) where this version of
> the package should be or was installed. Distribution names follow the
> rules for package names. (See Section 4.2.1, ``Package'').
>
> Current distribution values are:
>
> _stable_
> This is the current `released' version of Debian GNU/Linux. A
> new version is released approximately every 3 months after the
> _development_ code has been _frozen_ for a month of testing.
> Once the distribution is _stable_ only major bug fixes are
> allowed. When changes are made to this distribution, the release
> number is increased (for example: 1.2r1 becomes 1.2r2 then 1.2r3,
> etc).
>
> _unstable_
> This distribution value refers to the _developmental_ part of the
> Debian distribution tree. New packages, new upstream versions of
> packages and bug fixes go into the _unstable_ directory tree.
> Download from this distribution at your own risk.
>
> _contrib_
> The packages with this distribution value do not meet the
> criteria for inclusion in the main Debian distribution as defined
> by the Policy Manual, but meet the criteria for the _contrib_
> Distribution. There is currently no distinction between stable
> and unstable packages in the _contrib_ or _non-free_
> distributions. Use your best judgement in downloading from this
> Distribution.
>
> _non-free_
> Like the packages in the _contrib_ seciton, the packages in
> _non-free_ do not meet the criteria for inclusion in the main
> Debian distribution as defined by the Policy Manual. Again, use
> your best judgement in downloading from this Distribution.
>
> _experimental_
> The packages with this distribution value are deemed by their
> maintainers to be high risk. Oftentimes they represent early
> beta or developmental packages from various sources that the
> maintainers want people to try, but are not ready to be a part of
> the other parts of the Debian distribution tree. Download at
> your own risk.
>
> _frozen_
> From time to time, (currently, every 3 months) the _unstable_
> distribution enters a state of `code-freeze' in anticipation of
> release as a _stable_ version. During this period of testing
> (usually 4 weeks) only fixes for existing or newly-discovered
> bugs will be allowed.
>
> You should list _all_ distributions that the package should be
> installed into. Except in unusual circumstances, installations to
> _stable_ should also go into _frozen_ (if it exists) and _unstable_.
> Likewise, installations into _frozen_ should also go into _unstable_.
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Therefore, according to the packaging manual, I should be using
> "non-free" as the distribution in the changelog. But the correct way to
> do this, as Julian Gilbey has pointed out, is to specify "non-free" in
> the "Section" field of the debian/control file. Let's see what the
> packaging manual says about this field. It is covered in Section 4.2.9:
>
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 4.2.9. `Section' and `Priority'
> -------------------------------
>
> These two fields classify the package. The `Priority' represents how
> important that it is that the user have it installed; the `Section'
> represents an application area into which the package has been
> classified.
>
> When they appear in the `debian/control' file these fields give values
> for the section and priority subfields of the `Files' field of the
> `.changes' file, and give defaults for the section and priority of the
> binary packages.
>
> The section and priority are represented, though not as separate
> fields, in the information for each file in the `-File'field of a
> `.changes' file. The section value in a `.changes' file is used to
> decide where to install a package in the FTP archive.
>
> These fields are not used by by `dpkg' proper, but by `dselect' when
> it sorts packages and selects defaults. See the Debian policy manual
> for the priorities in use and the criteria for selecting the priority
> for a Debian package, and look at the Debian FTP archive for a list of
> currently in-use priorities.
>
> These fields may appear in binary package control files, in which case
> they provide a default value in case the `Packages' files are missing
> the information. `dpkg' and `dselect' will only use the value from a
> `.deb' file if they have no other information; a value listed in a
> `Packages' file will always take precedence. By default
> `dpkg-genchanges' does not include the section and priority in the
> control file of a binary package - use the `-isp', `-is' or `-ip'
> options to achieve this effect.
> ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
>
> Very interesting. This section does not mention that "contrib" or
> "non-free" should be specified in the "Section" field, in fact, unlike
> Section 4.2.14 on "Distribution", it doesn't even mention these words at
> all. So again I ask: how am I supposed to know the correct way of doing
> things from this document?
>
> Thank you very much for your help.
>
> - Brian
--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Julian Gilbey, Dept of Maths, QMW, Univ. of London. [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Debian GNU/Linux Developer, see http://www.debian.org/~jdg
Donate free food to the world's hungry: see http://www.thehungersite.com/
