Bug#795274: autopkgtest: please simplify the UI for the simplest use case

[Antonio Terceiro]

Package: autopkgtest
Version: 3.16.2
Severity: wishlist

In order to ease getting new people into writing tests, I think we
should improve the UI. A few problems I have with it as of currently:

- the command to run tests does not match the package name: you install
  `autopkgtest`, but then needs to call `adt-run`.

- running tests require too much understanding of how autopkgtest works
  just to get started. For example if I want to just run tests from a
  source package, and I already have the corresponding binaries
  installed, I need:

  $ adt-run ./ --- null

  i.e. I need to specicify explicitly where to get the tests from, and
  what testbed backend I want to use. "Run the tests for the current
  source package right here" is IMO the simplest use case for
  autopkgtest, and as such should require no effort.

I think we can get to a much better place by doing very simple things:

- renaming adt-run to `autopkgtest` (but of course keeping `adt-run` as a
  synlink to `autopkgtest` to keep backwards compatibility)

- make "./" the default input (while making sure that the current
  directory is a valid source package

- make "null" the default backend.

This way, running `autopkgtest` from inside a source package would Just
Work™.

I am willing to write the patch for this, provided that we agree that
this is a good way forward. I won't be upset at all, however, if you
beat me to it. ;-)

-- 
Antonio Terceiro <terceiro at debian.org>
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