[debhelper-devel] Bug#884999: debhelper: Please default Rules-Require-Root to no

[Niels Thykier]

Control: tags -1 wontfix

On Fri, 22 Dec 2017 12:23:49 -0500 Jeremy Bicha <jbicha at debian.org> wrote:
> Source: debhelper
> Version: 11
> X-Debbugs-CC: kilobyte at angband.pl, bunk at debian.org
> 
> Since my understanding is that the vast majority of Debian packages
> should not require root to build, I am hesitant to add the boilerplate
> "Rules-Require-Root: no" to all of my packages.
> 
> Could we please have "Rules-Require-Root: no" be set by default in a
> future debhelper compat level?
> 
> See the discussion in this thread:
> https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2017/11/msg00015.html
> 
> Thanks,
> Jeremy Bicha
> 
> 

Hi,

Thanks for the suggestion.

In the thread that you referenced, I received the same request and
answered it in https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2017/11/msg00020.html.

Basically:

 * Rules-Requires-Root is primarily an interface between the
   builder (usually via dpkg-buildpackage) and debian/rules.
   - debhelper just implements some changes to make migration extremely
     trivial for debhelper packages.

 * The interface requires that the builder (dpkg-buildpackage) does not
   call "debian/rules binary*" with (fake)root.  As it is, debhelper is
   on the wrong side of debian/rules to influence this in any way.

 * The debian/compat file is a interface between the packager and
   debhelper.  It is not an interface between the builder and
   debian/rules.  Accordingly, dpkg-buildpackage fully ignores the
   file and has no intention to look at it at all.

In summary: The debhelper fundamentally cannot affect whether
Rules-Requires-Root: no is default or not.  The debhelper compat level
system is the wrong interface to do this as well.

That said, in a distant future, I hope we can flip the default of
Rules-Requires-Root.  But when that comes, it will not be via a
debhelper compat level AFAICT.

Thanks,
~Niels