[Pkg-libvirt-maintainers] Bug#842452: FTBFS depdnding on docs/apibuild.py timestamp (api docs not buildable)

[Ian Jackson]

Santiago Vila writes ("Re: Bug#842452: FTBFS depdnding on docs/apibuild.py timestamp (api docs not buildable)"):
> On Sat, Oct 29, 2016 at 09:24:35PM +0100, Ian Jackson wrote:
> > The reason I think it's RC is that it demonstrates that the
> > documentation files shipped in the package are not buildable from
> > source (at least, using tools in the current version of Debian
> > unstable main).
> 
> IMO, it does not demonstrate that the files are unbuildable.
> 
> It is completely possible that they are indeed buildable from source,
> but using additional build-depeds.

You're right, of course.  It only demonstrates that the docs are
_probably_ unbuildable.  To me, the error message doesn't seem to
indicate a missing build-dependency.  I'd be happy to be shown to be
wrong.

> In this case: are the existence of "apibuild.py.stamp" and the
> references to apibuild.py in the Makefile not a good indication that
> maybe you can't just modify apibuild.py and expect everything to work?

I thought those were probably accidental.  It doesn't seem likely to
me that the maintainers intend this situation.

So, anyway: if the maintainers want to downgrade this bug then frankly
I won't take it any further.  I do think that recent discussions about
non-buildable js files etc. have shown that, on the whole, the project
thinks that stuff in .debs should be built from source; and that when
the provided source does not produce the stuff in the .debs, that's an
RC bug.

But as I say I don't have any interest in making a fight out of this.
I filed the bug because I thought the Debian libvirt maintainers
probably didn't intend this situation and would like to know about
it.  I gave it the severity I thought was appropriate not in order to
be aggressive but just because that's what one does with bug reports.

Thanks,
Ian.

-- 
Ian Jackson <ijackson at chiark.greenend.org.uk>   These opinions are my own.

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