Hi,
I will try to propose a new check to improve Debian Quality :-)
I'm using repology (https://repology.org) to report packages with home
page not work anymore and where I found a possible new home page.
But a lot of what I'm doing can be automatized.
When upstream abandon a home page, the Debian link can be used:
* by attackers to build a fake home page
* by person to register the old home page to have a lot of referrals
from a lot of GNU/Linux distro, for something totally different
* ...
but also, if upstream change to a new one can cause:
* outdated software in repository
* software based on outdated libraries
* software that seem not be maintained upstream
* removed software from Debian repository for the previous motivations
when, probably, in the new upstream there is the solution of all these
problems.
For example, for Debian testing, you can see what packages have home
page problems:
https://repology.org/repository/debian_testing/problems
most have point to the htpp URI that is redirect to the htpps one, but a
lot do not respond anymore or have other problems (for example point to
a not more maintained repository, for example goolge code; there are
also some case when not all the certificate chain is validated or
similar issues).
If you open for a package the repology detail you can see which distro
are using with version (note: I see that sometime different distro use
the same package name for different upstream software):
https://repology.org/project/jansi-native/versions
and if you go to the information tab
https://repology.org/project/jansi-native/information
you can see in the "Homepage links" section what home page link all the
distro are using; where a number is in green so that URI is working and
must be checked to know if it is the new home page of that Debian package.
So, for example, in PTS (or in a bug report) can be reported to the DD:
1) that the package home page has some problem
2) a possible solution (in the repology page above)
For all packages that there isn't a possible solution can be created a
list (in the wiki, for example) and ask user help to find if there is a
new home page.
I wish that can be a good suggestion for the qa team.
I think that repology can also be used for other checks.
Ciao
Davide
--
What happened in 2013 couldn't have happened without free software
(He credited free software for his ability to help disclose the U.S.
government's far-reaching surveillance projects).
Edward Snowden
