[Python-modules-team] Bug#482706: python-numpy: FTBFS when converted to new source format 3.0 (quilt)

[hertzog at debian.org]

Package: python-numpy
Version: 1:1.0.4-8
Severity: minor
Usertags: 3.0-quilt-by-default

To prepare a possible switch to the new source package format "3.0
(quilt)" [1], I converted all source packages and rebuilt the packages
afterwards to see what breaks, and python-numpy does break. To reproduce the
problem you can do this:

$ apt-get source python-numpy
$ sed -i -e '/^Source:/ aFormat: 3.0 (quilt)' python-numpy-1.0.4/debian/control
$ dpkg-source -b python-numpy-1.0.4
$ dpkg-source -x python-numpy_1.0.4-8.dsc
$ cd python-numpy-1.0.4 && debuild -us -uc

In this process, if the .diff.gz contains changes to upstream files,
dpkg-source will have created a corresponding patch in
debian/patches/debian-changes-1:1.0.4-8 and will have registered that
patch in a quilt series (debian/patches/series, it is created if needed).
All the patches listed in the "series" file are applied directly during
the extraction (dpkg-source -x). quilt itself is used if available (and
will thus lead to the creation of the .pc directory), otherwise
dpkg-source applies the patches by itself. For more information about the
new source package format see the manual page dpkg-source(1).

In the case of python-numpy, it uses simple-patchsys (from CDBS) but
contains a debian/patches/series file that make it look like quilt is
used. When the package is extracted, dpkg-source applies the patches
listed in the series file and later when simple-patchsys tries to 
(re-)apply the patches, it fails.

I suggest either switching to quilt (for CDBS you can use
/usr/share/cdbs/1/rules/patchsys-quilt.mk, it will work once #473381 is
fixed) or simply remove the debian/patches/series file.

Cheers,

[1] http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce/2008/04/msg00004.html
-- 
Raphael Hertzog