Re: Where to put spec files...

[Chipzz <chipzz ULYSSIS Org>]

On 20 Jan 2002, Roy-Magne Mo wrote:

> From: Roy-Magne Mo <rmo sunnmore net>
> Subject: Re: Where to put spec files...
>
> On su , 2002-01-20 at 22:11, R.I.P. Deaddog wrote:
> > On 20 Jan 2002, Ross Golder wrote:
> >
> > > > What's a pain about SRPMS?  Instead of rpm -tb, you do rpm --rebuild...
> > > > I really am curious...
> > >
> > > OK, didn't know about '--rebuild', but why go to extra lengths to
> > > distribute SRPMS, when the tarballs themselves would be perfectly
> > > adequate. I guess what I mean is, I'd rather download a tarball
> > > containing a specfile than a specfile containing a tarball, if you catch
> > > my drift. :)
> >
> > Isn't rpm -tb supposed to use <package>.spec, which doesn't exist until
> > executing configure? Sounds like a chicken and egg problem here... (Sorry
> > if I'm wrong, my comment is based on antique knowledge of redhat rpm)
>
> The spec file is created during make dist from the spec.in.
>
> The redhat spec-file should be left in the tar-file so one can build a
> rpm directly from the tar file. Possibly softlinked from the package
> directory. As the redhat specfile also works on mandrake, this will be
> used by most people.

Works. But that's about it. Replacing old packages with RH-style packages
won't work (not in the simple case that is)

Suppose you have gtkhtml:
Mandrake has gtkhtml, libgtkhtmlx, and libgtkhtml-devel (I may be off a bit,
 but you get the idea)
RH-style has gtkhtml and gtkhtml-devel. Thus upgrading to these packages
will cuase a conflict between gtkhtml and libgtkhtmlx, and between
gtkhtml-devel and libgtkhtml-devel. So you'ld have to uninstall those first,
screwing up your database.

> If suse decides to name their gnome packages other than what gnome does,
> this should be corrected on their side.

Agreed. Suse has one hell of a screwed packaging scheme, but if that's what
THEY want, it's not our problem (tm).
Especially, I don't see why we should move the RH spec files out of the tar-
ball/ into a seperate directory, because Suse and other distro's are fucked
up.
So my personal opinion is that the RH spec files should stay, in the root
dir where they've always been, and we should distribute spec-files for other
distro's seperately or in another dir.

Also, I see totally NO point in moving the debian dir, as it doesn't con-
flict with other distro's, and moving it will just plainly break packaging.
(that is, IF the debian dir works at all.)

To summarize my point:
1) The RH spec-files should stay in the root dir of the package in CVS, and
   updated to working versions.
2)
 a) The other spec-files should be distributed in a directory of the pack-
    age in CVS, better still, including spec.in's.
 b) The other spec-files should be distributed seperately, maybe in a CVS
    module or tarball? Maybe we could also include spec.in files?
3) The debian directory in CVS should stay and be updated.

This has the following advantages:
1) RH and Debian can easily build packages, both from tarballs and out of CVS.
2) We can easily make SRPM's for the other distro's.

Kind regards,

Chipzz AKA
Jan Van Buggenhout

PS: Sadly, I won't be able to join the fun packaging the GNOME Alpha, but I
    will probably be able to help out with the release of GNOME 2.
-- 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------
                  UNIX isn't dead - It just smells funny
                            Chipzz ULYSSIS Org
--------------------------------------------------------------------------