[Python-modules-team] python-requests backport

[Yaroslav Halchenko]

> Hello Julien and Yaroslav,

> thanks for remindig this: I was wondering about backporting requests but as 
> noted by Yaroslav we have to investigate how many packages will break.

> On Wednesday 05 June 2013 08:30:55 Yaroslav Halchenko wrote:
> > It would be nice to know if it would break any of the reverse
> > dependencies if backport gets uploaded (may be add NEWS entry to make it
> > obvious happen someone pull it from backports)

> I will be happy to work on this, but since I'm not a DD (yet ;) and this is 
> the first time I contront with this kind of situation I was wondering if ftp-
> masters will allow breckage in our stable release. Is a NEWS entry enough? :)

to say the truth -- I do not know.  I do not use/upload to backports.d.o
much, so this warning comes from the experience with our own
neuro.debian.net: there we upload lots of backports but we really avoid
backporting core libraries used by other projects if we know that they
break compatibility.  Some times it possible to provide workarounds at
some cost of inconvenience  -- that is how
http://neuro.debian.net/pkgs/ipython01x.html
was born.  So we could have stock ipython supported by the release and
new shiny one co-existing on the same system.

Back to the cows -- according to the backports.d.o:

    Backports cannot be tested as extensively as Debian stable, and
    backports are provided on an as-is basis, with risk of incompatibilities
    with other components in Debian stable. 

and I do not see otherwise any other recommendation/policy to not upload
packages known to break "stable" components.   So as far as I see it --
if you are keen on taking the burden of maintaining it there in b.d.o
and replying to people running into problems -- you could upload.  NEWS
entry though would yet again warn people that this version would break
things.


> My plan is to backport python-urllib3 and python-requests and start to 
> indvestigate how many package will break.

> > $> apt-cache rdepends python-requests
> > python-requests

> > Reverse Depends:
> >   python-glance
> >   dosage
> >   cloud-init
> >   python-ceilometer
> >   python-novaclient
> >   python-keystoneclient
> >   python-glanceclient
> >   python-cinderclient
> >   pybit-client

> >   httpie
> httpie will certainly break, see #707994; I pinged Bartosz Fenski on IRC some 
> time ago, but he did not reply. 

email might be a better media ;)

> Many thanks for your comments. If I forgot somthing please tell me!

you could also check popcon for those packages -- if they are really a
niche packages not used much -- there will be less chance of breaking
someone's system ;)