[DRE-maint] Bug#1095592: gem2deb is weird when cross building

[Helmut Grohne]

Source: gem2deb
Version: 2.2.5
Tags: patch
User: debian-cross at lists.debian.org
Usertags: ftcbfs

Hi,

gem2deb behaves weirdly when it is cross built. This is how it looks:

|  debian/rules clean
| /usr/bin/ruby: 1: ELF[GIBBERISH]3616418   : not found
| /usr/bin/ruby: 1: [GIBBERISH]: not found
| /usr/bin/ruby: 1: [GIBBERISH]: not found
| /usr/bin/ruby: 1: T[GIBBERISH]: not found
| /usr/bin/ruby: 1: k: not found
| /usr/bin/ruby: 1: [GIBBERISH] not found
| /usr/bin/ruby: 2: Syntax error: word unexpected (expecting ")")
| dh clean

Evidently, the build dependency on ruby is satisfied with a host
architecture interpreter that cannot be run. It is quite surprising that
the build does not fail here and I suspect that the lack of failure is a
violation of Debian policy 10.4.

In more recent sbuild, a recent apt feature called "barbarian
architectures" is enabled. It prevents this situation from happening by
refusing to install a foreign ruby package. When using that, what
happens is this:

| The following packages have unmet dependencies:
|  rake : Depends: ruby:any
|  ruby-rubygems : Depends: ruby:any
| E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.
| apt-get failed.

I think it is pretty clear that what was meant here is installing a
build architecture ruby interpreter. Given that it actually fails on
recent sbuild, I am tracking it as a FTCBFS. Patch attached.

Helmut
-------------- next part --------------
diff --minimal -Nru gem2deb-2.2.5/debian/changelog gem2deb-2.2.5+nmu1/debian/changelog
--- gem2deb-2.2.5/debian/changelog	2024-11-13 21:30:42.000000000 +0100
+++ gem2deb-2.2.5+nmu1/debian/changelog	2025-02-07 21:01:41.000000000 +0100
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+gem2deb (2.2.5+nmu1) UNRELEASED; urgency=medium
+
+  * Non-maintainer upload.
+  * Use a runnable ruby interpreter for cross building. (Close :-1)
+
+ -- Helmut Grohne <helmut at subdivi.de>  Fri, 07 Feb 2025 21:01:41 +0100
+
 gem2deb (2.2.5) unstable; urgency=medium
 
   [ Chris Hofstaedtler ]
diff --minimal -Nru gem2deb-2.2.5/debian/control gem2deb-2.2.5+nmu1/debian/control
--- gem2deb-2.2.5/debian/control	2024-11-13 21:30:42.000000000 +0100
+++ gem2deb-2.2.5+nmu1/debian/control	2025-02-07 21:01:40.000000000 +0100
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
                dpkg-dev (>= 1.17.14),
                python3-debian <!nocheck>,
                rake <!nocheck>,
-               ruby (>= 1:2.1.0.3~),
+               ruby:any (>= 1:2.1.0.3~),
                ruby-all-dev (>= 1:2.5),
                ruby-mocha <!nocheck>,
                ruby-rspec <!nocheck>,