[Debian-olpc-devel] Packaging instructions
Jonas Smedegaard
dr at jones.dk
Sun Feb 15 22:03:13 UTC 2009
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On Sun, Feb 15, 2009 at 11:27:14AM -0800, Edward Cherlin wrote:
>Where can I find instructions for turning .xo bundles into Debian
>packages? I need to get moving on a few, and to recruit others to join
>in.
There is (as far as I know of) no automated way to convert .xo packages
to .deb packages.
All Sugar packages currently officially in Debian are built "by hand"
from tarballs, using the packaging helper tools debhelper, CDBS and
git-buildpackage.
A good introduction to packaging Debian packages in general is her:
http://people.debian.org/~mpalmer/debian-mentors_FAQ.html#firstpackage
CDBS is documented officially here:
http://build-common.alioth.debian.org/cdbs-doc.html
Personally, however, I never read that CDBS documentation (for many
years I didn't even know that it existed, even though I wrote parts of
CDBS myself!) but just look at the actual CDBS files included from
debian/rules: they are just a bunch of make rules acting as templates
for common packaging routines repeated almost identical across packages.
For packaging Sugar activities, I recommend starting out with an
existing, simple (i.e. Python-based and not using special libraries)
existing package - like sugar-pippy-activity. Inside the source of that
package is the file debian/README.source containing some hints on
packaging with git-buildpackage. Some more hints are here:
http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/debian-olpc-devel/2008-August/000518.html
Beware, though, if you are new to Debian packaging in general, that the
use of CDBS helps make the continued _maintainance_ of packages simpler,
but does not make it simpler to _understand_ packaging. So if you are
new to Debian packaging in general, you might want to either leave the
packging to others, or team up with someone that is interested in
maintaining packaging without the use of CDBS (i.e. not me).
Apart from the actual packaging, you can help with prioritizing the
activities most wanted to get packaged first, and file "RFP" bugs for
them. And you can help maintain already packaged activities.
Hope that helps.
Kind regards,
- Jonas
- --
* Jonas Smedegaard - idealist og Internet-arkitekt
* Tlf.: +45 40843136 Website: http://dr.jones.dk/
[x] quote me freely [ ] ask before reusing [ ] keep private
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