Bug#519621: RFP: libfile-libmagic-perl -- Perl wrapper for libmagic

[Raphael Geissert]

Package: wnpp
Severity: wishlist

CPAN Package: File::LibMagic
Licence: as Perl itself
URL: http://search.cpan.org/~fitzner/File-LibMagic-0.91/LibMagic.pm

Description:
File::LibMagic is an XS interface to the libmagic library.

The main difference between this module and similar modules (like 
libfile-mmagic-perl) is best described by the module's author:

> RELATED MODULES
>
> I created File::LibMagic because I wanted to use libmagic (from file-4.x)
> and the otherwise great Module File::MMagic only works with file-3.x. In
> file-3.x exists no libmagic but an ascii file (/etc/magic) in which all
> data (magic numbers, etc.) is included. File::MMagic parsed this ascii file
> at each request and is thus releativly slow. Also it can not use the new
> data from file-4.x or file-5.x.
>
> File::MimeInfo::Magic uses the magic file from freedesktop which is encoded
> completely in XML, and thus not the fastest approach (
> http://mail.gnome.org/archives/nautilus-list/2003-December/msg00260.html ).
>
> File::Type uses a relativly small magic file, which is directly hacked into
> the module code. Thus it is quite fast. It is also mod_perl save. It may be
> the right choice for you, but the databasis is quite small relative to the
> file-package.

This package might later be used by lintian (if Russ or some other lintian 
maintainer accepts the change).

The test suite fails when testing the local copy of magic{,.mime} it ships. 
This bug is known by upstream as 
http://rt.cpan.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=39383
But this is mostly due to libmagic itself, AFAICS; and the other tests 
succeed.

Perl team is CC'ed in case somebody wants to package it :).

Thanks in advance!

Cheers,
-- 
Raphael Geissert - Debian Maintainer
www.debian.org - get.debian.net