[Reproducible-builds] Fwd: Bug#762105: lintian: package-contains-timestamped-gzip incorrectly complains about files from the upstream tarball

[Stuart Prescott]

----------  Forwarded Message  ----------

Subject: Bug#762105: lintian: package-contains-timestamped-gzip incorrectly 
complains about files from the upstream tarball
Date: Thu, 18 Sep 2014, 23:35:47
From: Stuart Prescott <stuart at debian.org>
To: Debian Bug Tracking System <submit at bugs.debian.org>

Package: lintian
Version: 2.5.27
Severity: normal

Dear Maintainer,

The package-contains-timestamped-gzip tag complains about gzipped files
that are in the upstream tarball. While it is true that these files were
compressed and contain a timestamp, it is not true that this timestamp will
be different each time the package is built, which is what the tag description
claims:

N:   The package contains a gzip-compressed file that has timestamps. Such
N:   files make the packages unreproducible, because their contents depend
N:   on the time when the package was built.

My experience is that it's not uncommon for test data sets in particular to
be gzipped inside the upstream tarball. A package that triggers tag this is
pyxplot.

It would be best if lintian didn't complain about compressed files that are
also present in the upstream package. If lintian's architecture can't cope
with this, then downgrading the certainty of this tag and perhaps telling the
maintainer to override it if it is a false-positive would be appropriate.

cheers
Stuart

-----------------------------------------
-- 
Stuart Prescott    http://www.nanonanonano.net/   stuart at nanonanonano.net
Debian Developer   http://www.debian.org/         stuart at debian.org
GPG fingerprint    90E2 D2C1 AD14 6A1B 7EBB 891D BBC1 7EBB 1396 F2F7