[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/

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