[debhelper-devel] Bug#759886: debhelper: please make mtimes of packaged files deterministic

[Jérémy Bobbio]

Lunar:
> The attached patch will add a new helper `dh_fixmtimes`, largely
> inspired by `dh_fixperms`, that will change the modification time of any
> file that has been created later than the time of the latest
> debian/changelog entry to the time of the latest debian/changelog entry.

A quick update on where we stand, more than a year after the original
patch. (*time flies*)

The experimental toolchain used to test package reproducibility [1]
currently adjust mtimes in `dh_builddeb`. There was several concerns
with this approach.

Meanwhile, a patch has been written adding an option to get a similar
behavior when using GNU Tar to create an archive (#790415). The patch is
in Debian since tar/1.28-1 (although more discussions with upstream
seem to be required).

Using this new `--clamp-mtime` option, it becomes very simple to adjust
mtimes directly in `dpkg-deb`. This would be even better than changing
debhelper.

In any cases, in the future, dpkg maintainers wish to replace usage of
GNU Tar by creating the archive using internal code. This would also
make it easy to solve the problem there.

I wonder if that means it's time to reassign to dpkg-dev.

 [1]: https://wiki.debian.org/ReproducibleBuilds/ExperimentalToolchain

-- 
Lunar                                .''`. 
lunar at debian.org                    : :Ⓐ  :  # apt-get install anarchism
                                    `. `'` 
                                      `-   
-------------- next part --------------
A non-text attachment was scrubbed...
Name: signature.asc
Type: application/pgp-signature
Size: 819 bytes
Desc: Digital signature
URL: <http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/debhelper-devel/attachments/20151012/ad66f212/attachment-0001.sig>