Re: [Texmacs-dev] preview: cygwin packages available

[David Allouche]

On Tue, Dec 16, 2003 at 05:12:01PM +0000, Offray Vladimir Luna C?rdenas wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
> El mar, 16-12-2003 a las 18:59, David Allouche escribi?:
> 
> > I agree with Joris on that point. All packaging magic should be inside
> > the distribution, it is a good thing not only because it allows other
> > people to learn and contribute, but also because it makes it easier to
> > build custom packages from development versions. BTW, this also holds
> > for debian, it would be nice if the ./debian/ directory were included in
> > the distribution.
> >
> 
> Do you think that this would allow the posibility to build the deb
> package from CVS (arch, etc) using apt-build (in a similar fashion to
> gentoo)?

As far as I know, apt-build works from source .deb packages fetched
through the apt system. That means that what you suggest would require
the upstream maintainer to provide a simplistic apt source on
texmacs.org which would contain those source packages.

Insofar that is automatable and a knowledgeable person is willing to
prepare the scripts and help for the maintenance, I believe the
maintainer (running RedHat) would be willing to add this to the release
procedure. But I do not have the required knowledge and I am not the
maintainer.

> I think that this would let the people interested in
> development, localization and beta testing use the more recent versions
> without waiting the packager to make the proper debian file

Sure. Having an easy "build this" command might make it easier for
people to build and install texmacs. Thought that it not obvious, since
it might often be easier for people to just "configure; make; make
install" rather than figuring out apt-build. Yes, that would install all
stuff in "/usr/local" (yuck!) but it will just work.  Generally, I
believe Debian users susceptible of using apt-build (i.e.  with root
access) are also able to build from the tarballs.

However, it is my experience that one sometimes wants to run the "latest
release", but neither the "package from Unstable" nor the "nightly build
from CVS" (which does not exists yet) answer that request. So being able
to build packages by hand with "./debian/rules binary; dpkg -i
../texmacs_*.deb" or with apt-build might increase the bleeding edge
user base.

> and also makes easier the job for the package manteiner.

The best person to know arguably is the package maintainer.

-- 
                                                            -- ddaa