Re: patch versions [Was: Re: color in subwindows]

[Thomas Dickey]

On Tue, Jun 17, 2003 at 02:15:39PM -0600, D. Stimits wrote:
> I'm digging in to the RPM spec file, from which there is this excerpt 
> for patches:
> <EXCERPT>
> Name: ncurses
> Version: 5.3
> %define PATCHDATE 20021231
> Release: 4
> License: distributable
> Group: System Environment/Libraries
> URL: http://dickey.his.com/ncurses/ncurses.html
> Source0: ftp://dickey.his.com/ncurses/ncurses-5.3.tar.bz2
> Source2: ncurses-linux
> Source3: ncurses-linux-m
> Source4: ncurses-resetall.sh
> Patch1: ftp://dickey.his.com/ncurses/5.3/patch-5.3-%{PATCHDATE}.sh.gz
> Patch2: ftp://dickey.his.com/ncurses/5.3/ncurses-5.3-20030105.patch.gz
> Patch3: ftp://dickey.his.com/ncurses/5.3/ncurses-5.3-20030111.patch.gz
> Patch4: ftp://dickey.his.com/ncurses/5.3/ncurses-5.3-20030118.patch.gz
> Patch11: ncurses-5.2-rxvt.patch
> Patch12: ncurses-5.2-nocbt.patch
> Patch13: ncurses-5.3-autoconf25.patch
> Patch14: ncurses-5.3-20030131-terminfo.patch
> ...
> zcat %{PATCH1} |sh
> %patch2 -p1
> %patch3 -p1
> %patch4 -p1
> %patch13 -p1 -b .ac25
> %patch14 -p1 -b .rh
> </EXCERPT>
> 
> My knowledge of rpm internals is very limited, but it seems that in the 
> above ftp URL references that the rollup patch-5.3-20021231.sh is being 
> used, followed by three other patches from 2003. However, when I go to 
> the ftp URL, those patches (beyond the rollup patch named above) are not 
> available. Were patches 20030105, 200030111, and 20030118 replaced with 
> other patches? I see several ncurses-5.3-2003xxxx patches, and some 
> patch-5.3-2003xxxx.sh patches, which are more current.

I usually work on ncurses on Saturdays, and generate a patch from the stable
changes that I've got at the end of that session.  Those are the xxx.patch"
files.  Everything's named by the patch date and corresponds to the NEWS file
entries.  (Occasionally I make a patch to repair things that weren't stable -
it's simple to pick those out of the NEWS file).  Weekly patches tend to add up
and produce a lot of clutter, so I make a rollup patch periodically.  That's
the "patch.xxx.sh.gz" file.  I assume they mirror that someplace and build up
the rpm locally, since I cleanup older patches once I've put up a new rollup
patch.  I keep a copy of all of the weekly patches for reference, but can't
recall the last time someone needed one of the older patches.

Anyway, they're saying where they got the patch, but it doesn't mean that
it's still there 3 months later.

(The other patches that Redhat adds I've looked at and don't want).

-- 
Thomas E. Dickey <address@hidden>
http://invisible-island.net
ftp://invisible-island.net