Merging upstream git history into the debian packaging history?

[Jonas Smedegaard]

Quoting Felipe Sateler (2013-08-24 18:59:03)
> Hi, I wonder if anybody who has tried the new workflow of merging in 
> the upstream history could share their impressions on it? I'm 
> considering using it, but some questions arise:
> 
> 1. How to manage stripped upstream taballs? do we not care about 
> shipping upstream code in git that we bother to strip in the debian 
> source tarball?

I only tie upstream git when Free.

Technically it should work fine - you simply end up with a bloated git 
as the stripped parts will end up as a binary blob in pristine-tar.  
Main reason I don't do it is to avoid burdening Alioth with potential 
legal issues.


> 2. Managing patches: it looks to me like the new workflow makes it 
> better to make changes directly to the sources (by cherry-picking the 
> appropriate commits/ merging the appropriate debian-specific branches) 
> and setting single-debian-patch in local-options. Has anyone tried 
> this?

I still favor quilt patches - and don't follow how tying our git to 
upstream git renders that inferior: I consider it two separate Worlds - 
one using git and another using tarballs and patch files.


> 3. Resolving conflicts between upstream released tarballs and the 
> upstream git repo (possibly due to autogen files). Simply override 
> anything with the contents of the latest tarball? I believe this is 
> what gbp does, but not sure.

Not sure what conflicts you are referring to.

I believe gbp unpacks content, generate a temporary tarball from that, 
do a binary diff against real tarball, and stores diff in pristine-tar 
branch.  Pssobily _missing_ files end up hidden in pristine-tar, while 
added/changed files will cause dpkg-buildpackage error, needing you to 
store the diff as a quilt patch.


 - Jonas

-- 
 * Jonas Smedegaard - idealist & Internet-arkitekt
 * Tlf.: +45 40843136  Website: http://dr.jones.dk/

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