[Python-modules-team] Bug#979355: src:sphinx-rtd-theme: embeds several Sass libraries that should be packaged separately

[Dmitry Shachnev]

Control: block -1 by 892811

Hi Jonas!

On Tue, Jan 05, 2021 at 06:42:45PM +0100, Jonas Smedegaard wrote:
> Source package sphinx-rtd-theme embeds Sass libraries Bourbon, Neat, and
> wyrm.
>
> Debian Policy §4.13 says:
>
> > Some software packages include in their distribution convenience
> > copies of code from other software packages, generally so that users
> > compiling from source don’t have to download multiple packages. Debian
> > packages should not make use of these convenience copies unless the
> > included package is explicitly intended to be used in this way. If the
> > included code is already in the Debian archive in the form of a
> > library, the Debian packaging should ensure that binary packages
> > reference the libraries already in Debian and the convenience copy is
> > not used. If the included code is not already in Debian, it should be
> > packaged separately as a prerequisite if possible.
>
> Let me repeat the suggestion at https://bugs.debian.org/865306#30 from
> 3½ years ago here:
>
> File RFPs and cc the SASS team: pkg-sass-devel at lists.alioth.debian.org

For Bourbon, there is already an RFP: https://bugs.debian.org/892811.

For Neat, sphinx-rtd-theme currently uses an ancient version, 1.9.1 (released
in 2018) while the latest upstream is 4.0.0.

For wyrm, it uses the latest version but wyrm itself is dead and unmaintained
for 6 years (since January 2015).

I don’t think it makes sense to package old versions of software if they will
be used only by sphinx-rtd-theme. And with new versions it just won’t build.

There is an upstream bug report requesting to move from wyrm to something
else: https://github.com/readthedocs/sphinx_rtd_theme/issues/544.

Please also note that I am trying to do my best rebuilding all CSS files from
SASS source, so this package meets DFSG and Policy “must” criteria, it just
fails to meet the “should, if possible” criterion.

--
Dmitry Shachnev
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