[Python-modules-team] Bug#856625: parsedatetime: FTBFS (AssertionError: 0.0666666666667 is not less than 0.05)

[Santiago Vila]

Package: src:parsedatetime
Version: 2.1-2
Severity: serious

Dear maintainer:

I tried to build this package in stretch with "dpkg-buildpackage -A"
but it failed:

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
[...]
 debian/rules build-indep
dh build-indep --with python2 --buildsystem pybuild
   dh_testdir -i -O--buildsystem=pybuild
   dh_update_autotools_config -i -O--buildsystem=pybuild
   dh_auto_configure -i -O--buildsystem=pybuild
I: pybuild base:184: python2.7 setup.py config 
running config
   dh_auto_build -i -O--buildsystem=pybuild
I: pybuild base:184: /usr/bin/python setup.py build 
running build
running build_py
creating /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/parsedatetime
copying parsedatetime/__init__.py -> /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/parsedatetime
copying parsedatetime/parsedatetime.py -> /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/parsedatetime
copying parsedatetime/context.py -> /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/parsedatetime
copying parsedatetime/warns.py -> /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/parsedatetime
creating /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/parsedatetime/pdt_locales
copying parsedatetime/pdt_locales/en_US.py -> /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/parsedatetime/pdt_locales
copying parsedatetime/pdt_locales/pt_BR.py -> /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/parsedatetime/pdt_locales
copying parsedatetime/pdt_locales/base.py -> /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/parsedatetime/pdt_locales
copying parsedatetime/pdt_locales/en_AU.py -> /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/parsedatetime/pdt_locales
copying parsedatetime/pdt_locales/nl_NL.py -> /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/parsedatetime/pdt_locales
copying parsedatetime/pdt_locales/__init__.py -> /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/parsedatetime/pdt_locales
copying parsedatetime/pdt_locales/ru_RU.py -> /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/parsedatetime/pdt_locales
copying parsedatetime/pdt_locales/icu.py -> /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/parsedatetime/pdt_locales
copying parsedatetime/pdt_locales/es.py -> /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/parsedatetime/pdt_locales
copying parsedatetime/pdt_locales/de_DE.py -> /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/parsedatetime/pdt_locales
   dh_auto_test -i -O--buildsystem=pybuild
I: pybuild base:184: cd /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build; python2.7 -m nose tests
..........F..SSSSSSS....SSSSSSS....................................................
======================================================================
FAIL: testFloat (tests.TestDelta.test)
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Traceback (most recent call last):
  File "/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/tests/TestDelta.py", line 64, in testFloat
    self.cal.parse('1.4 months ago', self.source), months=-1.4)
  File "/<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build/tests/TestDelta.py", line 37, in assertDelta
    self.assertTrue(diff < 0.05, '%s is not less than 0.05' % diff)
AssertionError: 0.0666666666667 is not less than 0.05

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Ran 83 tests in 0.129s

FAILED (SKIP=14, failures=1)
E: pybuild pybuild:283: test: plugin distutils failed with: exit code=1: cd /<<PKGBUILDDIR>>/.pybuild/pythonX.Y_2.7/build; python2.7 -m nose tests
dh_auto_test: pybuild --test --test-nose -i python{version} -p 2.7 returned exit code 13
debian/rules:4: recipe for target 'build-indep' failed
make: *** [build-indep] Error 25
dpkg-buildpackage: error: debian/rules build-indep gave error exit status 2
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

This also happens in the reproducible builds autobuilders:

https://tests.reproducible-builds.org/debian/rb-pkg/unstable/amd64/parsedatetime.html

Maybe this "only" fails shortly after February 28th, but we really want
tests to never fail. It is possible that this package assumes one or more
things in the following list?:

http://infiniteundo.com/post/25326999628/falsehoods-programmers-believe-about-time

Thanks.