[Debian-med-packaging] Bug#808743: r-cran-fastcluster: Does not provide upstream Python interface

[Gard Spreemann]

Package: r-cran-fastcluster
Severity: normal

Dear Maintainer,

The upstream package from which r-cran-fastcluster originates, simply
called "fastcluster", provides both an R and a Python interface as
first-class citizens [1] (both are in fact thin wrappers around a C++
library, whose interface is, AFAIK, not meant to be exposed). However,
the current Debian package provides only the R interface.

It would be really nice if also the Python interface could be
provided. I suspect one would then rename the source to something like
"fastcluster", and from it build two binaries, for example
"r-cran-fastcluster" and "python-fastcluster".

I have a sketch for packaging of the Python interface [2], but that is
for *just* that interface. Hopefully it is not too hard to provide
both. I am not too experienced with Debian packaging, but I'd happily
assist if I can be of any help.

[1] http://www.danifold.net/fastcluster.html

[2] https://launchpad.net/~gspreemann/+archive/ubuntu/ppa/+files/fastcluster_1.1.16-0ubuntu0gspr1.2.debian.tar.xz


-- System Information:
Debian Release: stretch/sid
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (500, 'testing')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 4.2.0-1-amd64 (SMP w/4 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=C.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=C.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)