[buildd-tools-devel] Bug#843773: sbuild should use build date as binnmu changelog date

[Ian Jackson]

Johannes Schauer writes ("Re: sbuild should use build date as binnmu changelog date"):
> While "Pkg Start Time" might be a good default, I guess for to be able to
> reproduce a binNMU it would be necessary to also allow the user to pass a
> custom timestamp.

Not only a custom timestamp (although I can see situations where that
might be useful), but a whole custom binnmu changelog entry.

Is there already a command line option to provide the binnmu changelog
entry ?  I think srebuild and/or derebuild wants to use the binnmu
changelog entry from the .buildinfo file and pass it to sbuild.

Imagine, for example, that a new version of sbuild changes some minor
detail of the text in its binnmu changelog entries.  That new version
of sbuild would generate different .debs - unless it used the one from
the .buildinfo.  (And it is no answer to say "use the old sbuild",
because sbuild runs outside the build chroot and there might be very
good reasons for wanting a new one.)

> I propose to add the command line option --binNMU-date and use that
> or, if the command line option is not given, the value from the
> environment variable SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH.

I think this is a good option to have, just for flexibility's sake,
but I don't think debrebuild.pl should use it.

Ian.

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