Bug#1077935: src:gnutls28: <!nocheck> Build-Depends on datefudge which FTBFS and is removed from testing

[Andreas Metzler]

On 2024-08-04 Paul Gevers <elbrus at debian.org> wrote:
> Source: gnutls28
> Version: 3.8.6-2
> Severity: important
> Tags: sid trixie
> User: debian-qa at lists.debian.org
> Usertags: edos-uninstallable

> Dear maintainer(s),

> gnutls28 has a <!nocheck> build dependency on datefudge, but since April
> 2024 datefudge has an RC bug because if FTBFS. There is no activity on that
> bug report and datefudge has been removed from testing.

> I rebuild gnutls28 twice, as-is and with datefudge removed from the build
> dependencies, and used diffoscope to check that the binaries remain the
> same. So, it's possible to drop the dependency without too much impact (I
> assume some tests will be skipped). Can you please help the maintainer of
> datefudge to fix it or drop the dependency until datefudge is fixed?

> I have rated this bug as severity important for now because technically
> gnutls28 now FTBFS in testing, but it's trivial to work around and it's the
> result of a balancing act described at [1]. When we get closer to the
> freeze, this issue will become RC.
[...]

Hello Paul,

yes, the only impact of dropping the datefudge dep is a loss of test
and autopkgtest coverage.

However since the gnutls commandline programs were enhanced to also
support --attime option (similar to OpenSSL' -attime) the usage of
datefudge has decreased, I am quite sure we will able to drop the b-d in
time. Please do not hesitate to ping me if it is necessary to drop the
dep immediately.

cu Andreas