Unofficial Debian packages for all modules - Was: Re: [phpGroupWare-developers] Fudforum for debian

[Olivier Berger]

Hi.

I've updated the source package's construction rules so that unofficial
Debian packages can be constructed for all phpGroupware modules not
officially included in the Debian archive (the new debian/rules and
associate stuff is only in our SVN at the moment, not yet in the
official Debian source package).

The trick is to regenerate the Debian packages with a special flag :
excerpt from
(http://svn.debian.org/wsvn/pkg-phpgroupware/trunk/svn-buildpackage/phpgroupware-0.9.16/trunk/debian/phpgroupware-0.9.16.README.Debian?op=file&rev=0&sc=0)

        Unofficial packages for other modules
        -------------------------------------
        
        You may try and re-generate local unofficial Debian packages for other
        modules not maintained in the official Debian archives.
        
        To do so, please unpack the Debian package sources, and rebuild it with 
the following command :
        
        $ BUILD_NONDEBIAN=1 dpkg-buildpackage -uc -us -b -rfakeroot
        
        Setting the BUILD_NONDEBIAN flag, will instruct the debian/rules
        script to produce all the phpGroupware modules included in upstream's
        tarball with a version whose suffix will be "-unoff1".
        
        Of course YOU MAY ONLY USE SUCH LOCALLY GENERATED PACKAGES AT YOUR OWN
        RISK (well, the same stands also even for the official packages, of
        course). The Debian maintainers only provide this as a convenience for
        phpGroupware users. Bugs should be reported upstream for these
        unofficial packages.

I have generated and uploaded such packages in an unofficial archive at
http://picoforge.int-evry.fr/projects/svn/phpgwdeb/ (see
apt/sources.list instructions at
http://picoforge/projects/phpgwdeb/ )

Any comments, tests or feedback much welcome.

Best regards,

Le mercredi 16 avril 2008 à 23:46 +0200, Olivier Berger a écrit :
> Le mercredi 16 avril 2008 à 03:08 -0700, Giorgio a écrit :
> > 
> > Hello,
> > 
> > is there any chance to see a new fudforum-phpgroupware package in
> > debian sid? 
> 
> Well... I'm not sure we (Debian phpgw maintainers) are really ready for
> maintaining an official Debian package for it... we don't really use it
> ourselves. Also we would need some indications on its "status" as well
> maintained or not by phpGroupware developers, and the security risks
> relating to that module...
> 
> But there may be several possibilities to change the current situation :
> * getting a new co-maintainer for it joining our team, who would
> "commit" to maintaining it
> * doing some unofficial packaging
> 
> About the second option, which may be implemented right awayn we may
> adapt the Debian source package's construction script to support
> unofficial packages generation with some additional options (something
> which used to be possible I think in previous packaging). They even
> could be hosted on phpgroupware.org ? ;)
> 
> Anyway, much of the issue of the perimeter of the official Debian
> packages is linked to the maintainability of the modules, and the
> security risks lying in the code... it would be too bad if the whole
> package was to be removed as a whole, due to some security flaw in one
> peripheral module of little interest for most people (which kinda
> happened in the past).
> 
> About fudforum, I don't know... is it well maintained, problematic,
> etc. ?
> 
> > I really need a good forum application using the platform for
> > educational purposes (learning at distance)
> > 
> > I could even offer some (very limited) time to prepare the package
> > althoug my experience in packaging php stuff is ZERO and  the general
> > packaging experience is very low.
> > 
> 
> Sure, thanks.
> 
> Maybe you could start and test the package re-generation, and maybe
> discuss it on the dedicated mailing-list at
> address@hidden (also
> https://picoforge.int-evry.fr/wws/info/phpgwdeb but down at the present
> time :(... so I hope the link is the right one).
> 
> In any case, you should file a wishlist bug on Debian BTS, I think, so
> that such discussions are archived for other Debian users.
> 
> > cheers
> > 
> > Giorgio Pioda.
> 
> Best regards,
> 
-- 
Olivier BERGER <address@hidden> (*NEW ADDRESS*)
http://www-inf.it-sudparis.eu/~olberger/ - OpenPGP-Id: 1024D/6B829EEC
Ingénieur Recherche - Dept INF
Institut TELECOM / TELECOM & Management SudParis (http://www.it-sudparis.eu/), 
Evry