[debhelper-devel] [DH] Planning to remove deprecated commands and compat levels in debhelper

[John D. Hendrickson]

Niels Thykier wrote:
> Hi,
> 
> EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
> =================
> 
> I am planning to remove the following features/commands in debhelper in
> the near future:
> 
>  * compat level 1,2 and 3.
>  * dh_scrollkeeper
> 
> All of the listed commands do nothing except a deprecation warning.
> Please see "BACKGROUND AND NUMBERS" for more information.  You may also
> want to have a look at "FUTURE REMOVALS".
> 
> 
> THE PLAN
> ========
> 
> My plan is to:
> 
>  * Mass-file bugs for compat level 1,2 and 3 plus the used tools before
>    Monday the 28th.
>    - severity: important
> 
>  * Remove compat 1+2 in the first debhelper upload after November 1st
>    - related unfixed bugs would be bumped to RC.
> 
>  * Remove compat 3 AND dh_scrollkeeper in the first debhelper upload
>    after January 1st  (2016)
>    - related unfixed bugs would be bumped to RC.
> 
> If the last consumer of a given feature is updated the deadline, I may
> remove the feature before the listed deadline.
> 
> 
> MIGRATING TO COMPAT 5 OR LATER
> ==============================
> 
> I appreciate that the migration from compat 4 to 5 has been somewhat
> difficult for some, since compat 5 rejects wildcards without matches and
> people have been relying on the compat 4 behaviour.
> 
> The current recommendation is:
> 
>   * Migrate to compat 9 AND
>   * use the filters from dh-exec to exclude files only built on certain
>     architectures
> 
> Debhelper 9 and dh-exec/0.14 are already available in oldstable, which
> should cover the majority of all backporting needs.
> 
> 
> BACKGROUND AND NUMBERS
> ======================
> 
> Having looked at the Lintian statistics[1], I think we are at the point,
> where we are almost ready to remove some of the deprecated compat levels
> in debhelper.  A break down of the numbers shows that:
> 
>  * 437 packages use compat 4 (deprecated in Mar 2009 - 7.2.3)
>  *  73 packages use compat 3 (deprecated in Nov 2005 - 5.0.0)
>  *  11 packages use compat 2 (not sure when it was deprecated)
>  *  48 packages use compat 1 (not sure when it was deprecated)
> 
> Given the numbers, I am considering to remove the 3 latter compat levels
> in the near future.  I have attached a dd-list of affected maintainers
> and their packages (please see compat-123-dd-list).
> 
> I also looked at some of the deprecated dh commands like
> 
>  * dh_desktop        NOOP with 28 consumers
>  * dh_scrollkeeper   NOOP with  1 consumer
>  * dh_suidregister   NOOP with  2 consumers
>  * dh_undocumented   NOOP with 10 consumers
> 
> It so happens that the sole consumer of dh_scrollkeeper is using a
> compat level /less/ than 4, so I am taking the liberty of removing that
> as well with compat 3.
> 
> 
> FUTURE REMOVALS
> ===============
> 
> I fully intend to remove compat 4 and the rest of these tools (time
> permitting, in Stretch).  Affected packages and maintainers are
> available from:
> 
>  * compat4-dd-list  (consumers of compat 4)
>  * dh_tools-dd-list (consumers of the deprecated NOOP dh_* tools)
> 
> Please consider migrating sooner rather than later.
> 
> Thanks,
> ~Niels
> 
> 
> [1]
> https://lintian.debian.org/tags/package-uses-deprecated-debhelper-compat-version.html
> 
> 


 > All of the listed commands do nothing except a deprecation warning.
 > Please see "BACKGROUND AND NUMBERS" for more information.  You may also
 > want to have a look at "FUTURE REMOVALS".

you seem to be crossing your testimony

first you say "does nothing but print warning".  then you talk about 
patterns not matching and removing dh_scrollkeeper which is used by any 
packaged doing update for NOT-gnome3, which is many.

by removing dh_scrollkeeper you'd be saying that having two gnome 
versions installed is not allowed.  this clearly crosses the "policy" 
gnome is following of disrespecting the meaning of "minor version" and 
forcing upgrade with the assumption that earlier programs may use 
alternate libraries (ie, gtk+-1.2 and gtk+-2.14 can both be installed, 
and apps using either can run).  but according to you: all apps which 
use any lib except the one YOU are using are banned forever.

the only reason very bad lib management (minor versions that cuase 
incompatibility, and continual major version bumping where compatibility 
was possible but simply not done out of laziness)

the only reason that was ever "allowed" was the promise or expression 
"you don't need Sun Microsystem design lib compatibility rules because 
people using lite versions of software can have the old libs installed"

YOUR insistence "everyone can migrate" implies you have authority to 
cause waste of manhours of everyone in the world EXCEPT YOURSELF.

i on the other hand would say your either uninformed, lazy, or trying to 
CREATE problems (ie, are affiliated with politics of a different OS)

i'm tired of hearing the excuses "we can't use libraries like we're 
supposed to, there's a real need for a total change from the 1980's". 
it's totally full of crap.  and the "changes" themselves are depreciated 
later as crap that never worked and only generated bins correctly for 
debian build system (ie, not upon download of source using autoconfig). 
  then later after damaging libraries with hacks the whole library 
becomes "depreciated" negating the excuses that the compatibility 
disruptions were necessary to begin with.

you can use libraries like your supposed to (prefferably) and or can 
keep up with the "old lib support" promises (cheap, but workable, and a 
pain in the ass as it requires allot more work later)