A (git) workflow for Debian packaging

[martin f krafft]

also sprach martin f krafft <madduck at debian.org> [2007.10.05.1408 +0100]:
> … when a new upstream version comes around
> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It turns out that I oversimplified the picture of feature branches
and how (octopus) merging works.

> That was easy, since I could evade the conflict. But what if upstream made
> a change to ``Makefile``, which got in the way with my configuration file
> location change? Then I'd have to merge ``upstream`` into
> ``deb/conffile-location``, resolve the conflicts, and commit the change::
> 
>   $ git checkout deb/conffile-location
>   $ git merge upstream
>   CONFLICT!
>   $ git-mergetool
>   $ git commit
> 
> When all conflicts have been resolved, I can prepare a new release, as
> before::
> 
>   $ git checkout master
>   $ dch
>   $ dpkg-parsechangelog | sed -ne 's,Version: ,,p'
>   mdadm-2.6.3+200709292116+4450e59-3
> 
>   $ poor-mans-gitbuild

This doesn't work, since octopus merging (which is what
poor-mans-gitbuild does: git-merge with multiple branches as
arguments) isn't as smart as I thought:
  http://marc.info/?l=git&m=119188993817723&w=2

If I try to octopus-merge the three into build, which I branched off
the new upstream.

  lapse:..pkg/mdadm/retry/mdadm> git merge master deb/conffile-location deb/docs
  Trying simple merge with 257481d036a3a0f4f77546d0774f2cea874efadc
  Trying simple merge with a6c070e839a7ceb88f03a02fd4f4ada8aecce011
  Simple merge did not work, trying automatic merge.
  Added debian/FAQ in both, but differently.
  ERROR: Merge conflict in debian/FAQ
  [...]

The reasons are outlined in the above thread. Basically it's because
I cannot use the octopus merge strategy as it is if any of the
branches modified files that are known to the other branches, and
I modified files like .gitignore or debian/postinst in master, but
obviously not in deb/*.

If I first merge master, then deb/*, it works, simply because then
git gets to use its infinitely smarter recursive merge strategy.

If I merge master into deb/* before the octopus, it should also
work.

But I fear that this gets a little complicated and requires too much
brain power from the operator.

I shall thus try to figure out a better way to automate this. Good
thing I haven't published the text yet to the wider audience.

Comments welcome,

-- 
 .''`.   martin f. krafft <madduck at debian.org>
: :'  :  proud Debian developer, author, administrator, and user
`. `'`   http://people.debian.org/~madduck - http://debiansystem.info
  `-  Debian - when you have better things to do than fixing systems
 
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