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Re: Bug#43787: changed title, and remade the proposed change



Marcus Brinkmann <Marcus.Brinkmann@ruhr-uni-bochum.de> writes:

> On Tue, Sep 07, 1999 at 08:24:06AM -0400, Ben Collins wrote:

> > If you want users to be able
> > to rebuild your package with debugging information easily, the suggested
> > way is to use the ``DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS'' environment variable.

> This is way to weak, IMHO. First, I think as many packages as possible
> should allow for this feature, [...]

I think that you have far too little trust in the common sense of
developers.  I think that if policy merely suggests it, most
developers will follow the suggestion if it's at all reasonable to do
so.  And the ones that don't probably won't unless it's actually
required.  (Which I would object to, since it *may* be more trouble
than it's worth in some cases.)

The practical difference between a suggestion and a recommendation in
a case like this is effectively nil, IMO.

> > In order to retain this information in the custom built package, the
> > binaries should not be stripped (either with "install -s" or using the
> > strip program).

> First, who says that we talk about binaries? Can we find a more general term
> like "object files"? There are also libraries...

It could be argued that libraries are binaries.  "Binary" does not
necessarily mean "executable".  This is semantic quibbling.  But I
agree that this may be a little confusing, and a more general term
might be an improvement.  This seems a reasonable change, possibly
even a good one, but not really a necessary one.  *shrug*

> Then, the object files must not be stripped. Again, should seems to be too
> weak.

If the binaries can be debugged in the build directories, then there's
little reason not to strip them.  I frequently do 'debian/rules
build', and debug in place, without worrying about the fact that the
install rule will strip the binary.  Again, I think common sense can
fill in the gap here.

If there's no easy way to debug a package, one can always file a
wishlist bug (with patches to fix the problem, preferably).

-- 
Chris Waters   xtifr@dsp.net | I have a truly elegant proof of the
      or    xtifr@debian.org | above, but it is too long to fit into
http://www.dsp.net/xtifr     | this .signature file.


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