[Debian GNUstep maintainers] Re: gratuitous -dev package renaming

[Hubert Chan]

Hi Steve,

On Sun, 12 Feb 2006 00:56:22 -0800, Steve Langasek <vorlon at debian.org> said:

[...]

> Are there really differences in the new version that warrant forcing
> sourceful changes in all of the reverse-dependencies?

I think that the new versions of the libraries are backwards compatible
with the old versions (i.e. all applications should build fine with the
new libraries).

> If not, I'm inclined to NMU gnustep-base and gnustep-gui to Provide:
> the old names of these -dev packages and schedule binNMUs for the
> affected packages,

However, due to the directory structure changes for FHS compliance, none
of the new -dev packages can be installed at the same time as any of the
old -dev packages.  For example, if someone has libgnustep-gui0.9-dev
(old) installed, which depends on libgnustep-base1.10-dev (old), and
this pulls in libgnustep-base1.11-dev (new) because it provides
libgnustep-base1.10-dev, then bad things will happen.

But I would gladly welcome suggestions on how to fix this if you have
any ideas.

> so that this gnustep transition doesn't continue to drag on.

I apologize for my own failure to make new uploads for my own packages.
And in general, it seems that we have lost some maintainers, and are
short on manpower.

I also have a list somewhere of packages that should be removed, since
they are not being used and we have lost their maintainer.  I hope to be
able to send that to -release (? or where is the proper place to send
it?) soon.

My own todo list of packages to upload:
- affiche (should be ready shortly)
- gnumail, along with the new upstream version of pantomime (new soversion)
- gnustep-netclasses (needs to be renamed to include soversion, blocks
  talksoup.app, maintained by Gürkan)

(A new upload of pantomime (old soversion) has been made to unstable
recently, but it introduced new binary packages, and so needs to be
approved.  This blocks lusernet.app, maintained by Gürkan.)

For the other GNUstep package maintainers, please upload your packages
ASAP as well.  I will try to prepare NMUs for as many packages as I can,
as soon as I can, if new packages are not uploaded before then.

Thank you, Steve, for that much-needed kick in the pants.

-- 
Hubert Chan <hubert at uhoreg.ca> - http://www.uhoreg.ca/
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