Re: Possible framework for `debmake replacement'

[Manoj Srivastava <srivasta@datasync.com>]

Hi,
>>"David" == David Engel <david@sw.ods.com> writes:

David> On Feb 21, Manoj Srivastava wrote
>>  I think I'd prefer the helper program to insert commands into the
>> rules file (not necessarily by editing the file in place). Separate
>> programs also make it very hard to see what would happen if I just
>> say ./debian/rules -n binary.

David> No, no, no!  IMO, this is going in the wrong direction.  We
David> need to make packages as easy as possible, even trivial, to
David> initially build and maintain.  This just adds more frame work
David> that a developer has to initially learn and maintain as policy
David> changes.  

	I think I should clarify (this is still an implementation
 issue). 
 % cd my-new-pkg-dir
 % new-deb-make-like-stuff
   Look at template file in ./debian. 
 % ./debian/file.ex ./debian/file
 % ed ./debian/file
 % new-deb-std-like-program
 look at ./debian/Rules/*.dist.
 if you like the defaults, try
 % ./debian/rules -n binary
 % cp ./debian/Rules/man.dist ./debian/Rules/man
 % ed ./debian/Rules/man
 % ./debian/rules -n binary
 
	The next time you run you run  new-deb-std-like-program, it
 just changes ./debian/Rules/*.dist. The dist files are used *if and
 only if* no user modified non-dist files exist.

	Creating my changes is easy, I start with man.dist and insert
 my changes (programming by example). I can track the drift from the
 standard by doing sumply:

 % diff -uBbw  /debian/Rules/man.dist /debian/Rules/man 
   to see exactly how you differ from the default.

 Or better: 

 % ls -1 ./debian/Rules/ | egrep -v  '\.dist$' | while read i; do
 >  diff -uBbw $i ${i}.dist | less
 > done

	This is easy. This is simple. This does not need `` an
 encompassing build utility''. (I really like the KISS
 principle). 

David> My visiion of the rules file is that it should be
David> strictly limited to the following, simple targets:

	Sure. The targets can remain as you said. No need to edit the
 rules file, even, if you don't want to.

	This modularizes the changes I make to the defaults generated
 by new-deb-std-like-program. One can populate  ./debian/Rules/ by any
 number of programs, maybe called individually by
 new-deb-std-like-program, or by the developer.

	Can we get back to the requirements process now?

	manoj
	
-- 
 "If my film makes one more person miserable, I've done my job." Woody
 Allen
Manoj Srivastava               <url:mailto:srivasta@acm.org>
Mobile, Alabama USA            <url:http://www.datasync.com/%7Esrivasta/>


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