[Pkg-javascript-devel] JavaScript policy?

[Emilien Klein]

2014-03-29 9:17 GMT+01:00 Ben Finney <ben+debian at benfinney.id.au>:
> This is significantly more complex and more prone to false positives,
> than simply dropping the non-source files from the source package, as I
> propose.

I'm not saying it's even working. I am suggesting a potential solution
to getting the response to "is the upstream-provided minified file
coming from the same source?".

I don't agree that it would be more complex: 2 calls to uglifyjs, and
one to diff.
Compare that to the 18 lines (and I'm not including the other 10 `rm`
lines in there) that are needed for repackaging (example from flotjs
[0]), including calls to awk and sed ;)

[0] http://anonscm.debian.org/gitweb/?p=pkg-javascript/flot.git;a=blob;f=debian/rules;h=83670cf0ec4aaec4817d6f2eb68d0756d85ac553;hb=HEAD

>> I feel there is more value in shipping the upstream tarball (if we can
>> assure the minified file comes from the supplied source), as
>> repackaging is an extra step that could theoretically go wrong.
>
> I think you're engaging in wishful thinking. The process you propose has
> more steps to go wrong, and more points of potential error, than simply
> dropping the non-source files from the source package.

Well, my original suggestion is indeed much more simple than the
verification of upstream validity and the current policy to repackage:
leave the minified files in, as released by upstream under a license
that allows explicitly allows its redistribution.

As I've tried to explain before, I don't see what in DFSG §2 prevents
the inclusion of the minified file:

>From https://www.debian.org/social_contract.en.html
Source Code
The program must include source code, and must allow distribution in
source code as well as compiled form.

I argue that a tarball that contains the source for the program, along
with a minified file next to it is fulfilling "The program must
include source code".
As explained before as well, the minified file is provided by upstream
as a convenience to it's users, it's implicitly coming from the source
of the program.

DFSG §2 does not say something along the lines "The program must
*only* include the source code, excluding any files included by
upstream for the convenience of the user"

I feel we are stuck. In the intent to bring this discussion to a
close, would you strongly disagree if I ask the question on the -devel
mailing list?
I feel it would be beneficial (regardless of the way in which the
discussion goes there) to include developers that might have a broader
view of the landscape, maybe a bit less down into the specifics of js
packaging as we are. We can then record the final decision on our
policy page and close out this time-consuming discussion.

Have a great Saturday!
   +Emilien