[Soc-coordination] GSoC project proposal: dpkg declarative diversions

[Steve Langasek]

Mentor: Steve Langasek; supported by Raphaël Hertzog for dpkg maintainer
  review and sign-off
Summary: implement support for declarative diversions in dpkg, to obsolete
  manual calls to dpkg-divert in maintainer scripts
Required skills:
  * C programming
  * ability to communicate clearly in written English
Description:
  The dpkg package manager allows packages to redirect ("divert") files
  belonging to one package to replace them with their own implementation.
  This is currently done by invoking a command, dpkg-divert, from package
  maintainer scripts, which is fragile and error prone; most references to
  dpkg-divert in the maintainer scripts of a typical system today are
  attempts to fix up past incorrect uses of dpkg-divert.

  The dpkg-divert command should be replaced with a new control file with a
  declarative syntax which dpkg will parse and process directly as part of
  the package unpack and removal phases, eliminating the problems resulting
  from non-atomic handling of diversions.

  Any solution to this problem must include documentation on correct use of
  the new feature and provide a transition path for packages using the
  existing non-declarative method of diverting files.



-- 
Steve Langasek                   Give me a lever long enough and a Free OS
Debian Developer                   to set it on, and I can move the world.
Ubuntu Developer                                    http://www.debian.org/
slangasek at ubuntu.com                                     vorlon at debian.org
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: not available
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 828 bytes
Desc: Digital signature
URL: <http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/soc-coordination/attachments/20110303/0f725225/attachment.pgp>