Bug#784019: freeciv: removal of bz2 support => inability to load old savegames?

[Marko Lindqvist]

On 2 May 2015 at 11:52, Jacob Nevins
<jacobn+debian at chiark.greenend.org.uk> wrote:
> Package: freeciv-server
> Version: 2.5.0-1
>
> I haven't tested this at all, I'm afraid, but noticed this in the
> changelog of the new Freeciv packages in experimental:
>
> | - Remove libbz2-dev from Build-Depends.
> |   We already support xz compression which is a superior compression format.
>
> I think this means that the new server won't be able to load .sav.bz2
> savegames? That would be unfortunate, since the stable package generates
> them (and Freeciv is generally able to load savegames from older
> versions).
>
> Once you've released a package with support for a compression format, I
> think you can practically never remove it, even if you add a newer
> format.

 They can be deprecated and then obsoleted over long time in upstream
- or by similar sources patching in downstream (I think we should
start that process in upstream for bz2). Anyway, dropping the support
for compression format that has been the default (assuming Debian uses
upstream default) to create savegames in previous version is certainly
no way to go.

>
> Sorry if I've misconstrued the situation.
>


 - ML