Bug#642175: remove RPM spec file generator, 02_spec.dpatch

[Allison Randal]

Package: libnet-server-perl
Version: 0.99-2
Severity: normal

Downstream in Ubuntu, we've had an FTBFS in libnet-server-perl (version
0.99-2ubuntu1) in Oneiric, caused by a missing value for $version in the
file Net-Server.spec.PL. This appears to be related to changes in the
behavior of MakeMaker.

https://launchpadlibrarian.net/79887943/buildlog_ubuntu-oneiric-i386.libnet-server-perl_0.99-2ubuntu1_FAILEDTOBUILD.txt.gz

The weird thing about the file Net-Server.spec.PL, is that it's a script
to automatically generate an RPM spec file. This file is not in the
upstream Perl module, it is added by the patch 02_spec.dpatch, which
first appeared in the Debian packages in version 0.87-1 in 2004. In this
same release 0.87, the same file was removed from the upstream Perl
module (it was in the Perl module tarball in version 0.86
http://cpansearch.perl.org/src/BBB/Net-Server-0.86/, and removed in
version 0.87 http://cpansearch.perl.org/src/BBB/Net-Server-0.87/).

It looks suspiciously like the patch 02_spec.dpatch may be unnecessary.
I rebuilt the packages without the patch, and have encountered no
problems. The only output from the spec file generator is the RPM spec
file, so it's not affecting other parts of build process. The patch was
added during a fairly chaotic period for libnet-server-perl, involving a
changeover in upstream maintainers for the module in CPAN, and a
changeover in Debian maintainers.

I reviewed the FTBFS in Ubuntu at Scott Kitterman's request, and am
recommending the solution of removing the patch 02_spec.dpatch, rather
than continuing to maintain an RPM spec file generator that the upstream
developers abandoned 6 years ago. Debian may want to consider the same fix.

HTH,
Allison