Bug#369268: [Build-common-hackers] debhelper.mk: installs common docs instead of docs listed in package.docs

[Peter Eisentraut]

Micha Lenk wrote:
> cdbs could call dh_installdocs twice. The first time with files
> specified on commandline, the second time without.

dh_installdocs is called once for each package.  You can tell cdbs for 
each of those invocations exactly what you want.  If you don't want 
stuff to appear on the command line for one invocation, just delete it.  
I explained earlier how to do that.  Calling dh_installdocs twice would 
be redundant in this case because what you are actually looking for is 
the second invocation.

> Does cdbs do something wrong or not? I say, yes it's doing things
> wrong: cdbs should install files listed in <package>.docs in
> preference over the files specified on command line to
> dh_installdocs.

Again, this is not the doing of cdbs.  cdbs calls debhelper.  Debhelper 
decides what to install.  If you think that files should take 
precedence over the command line, you'll have to talk to the debhelper 
maintainer.  It's completely pointless to complain here because we are 
not controlling that.

> Not having talked about the reasons for this bug: Do you at least
> agree with this being a bug?

Every tool known to man has the command line overriding settings in 
files.  Debhelper does just that, so it's fine by me.  But I'm not the 
debhelper maintainer, so I don't care.