[Pkg-javascript-devel] Bug#857993: Please don't remove npm from Stretch

[Jérémy Lal]

2017-04-03 16:45 GMT+02:00 Niels Thykier <niels at thykier.net>:
> Thomas Goirand:
>> Hi,
>>
>> [...]
>>
>
>> Also, removing such a non-leaf package at this point of the release is a
>> way too late. IMO, a bug should have been opened a long time ago asking
>> for an upgrade of the package.
>>
>
>
> Hi,
>
> I would (also) strongly prefer, if we got better at finding and dealing
> with things like outside the freeze.  That said...
>
> In the concrete case, the removal does not look too bad at a metadata
> level.  Assuming qtwebchannel5-examples can drop its dependency, the
> rest can be removed from testing without affecting any other package
> than those listed below.
>
> """
> $ dak rm -nR -s testing npm
> [...]
> Checking reverse dependencies...
> # Broken Depends:
> npm2deb: npm2deb
> qtwebchannel-opensource-src: qtwebchannel5-examples [...]
>
> # Broken Build-Depends:
> ruby-license-finder: npm
> """
>
>> Last, at this point in time, I believe we should discuss the issue with
>> the release team. They may agree, for example, that we upgrade the
>> package to a newer version (this is unlikely, but it is up to them to
>> tell). They may don't agree that we "fix" so many source package to
>> remove the build-dependency. Anyway, the solution should be discuss with
>> them. Therefore, I'm CC-ing the release team.
>>
>
> From my PoV; upgrade is unlikely to be accepted.  Removal appears to be
> doable, so the real question is:
>
>  * Is npm so out of date that it is release critical?
>
> If yes, fix qtwebchannel-opensource-src (etc.) and remove the rest from
> stretch.  If no, tag it -ignore and move on.  To be honest, I know next
> to nothing about npm and its state, so I will apply "Do-cracy" to this
> decision.
>   AFAICT, Jérémy Lal have done all of the uploads since 2013 and is the
> sole committer to the packaging between 2013-08 to 2014-08[1], which
> pretty much makes Jérémy the closest person to an "active do'er" in this
> case.
>
> @Jérémy Lal: Your call:
>
>  * Are you willing to support npm for 3-5 years in stretch given its
>    current state?
>    - If yes, then tag the npm bug stretch-ignore or downgrade it
>    - If no, then we will effectuate the removal before the release.

I agree completely with the above analysis, and I'm not willing to support
the current npm version that is in testing.

To others, preoccupied that npm won't be available in debian:
- please help with npm maintenance
- hopefully we'll make an updated version installable through debian backports,

Jérémy.