[Pkg-lirc-maint] Bug#477063: Bug#477063: Depends on makedev

[Stefan Lippers-Hollmann]

tags 477063 + pending
thanks

Hi, sorry about the slow response.

On Sonntag, 20. April 2008, Marco d'Itri wrote:
> Package: lirc
> Severity: important
> 
> lirc depends on makedev. At a minimum, it should add an alternative for
> udev.
> 
> Actually I have not been able to find any invocation of /dev/MAKEDEV in
> the package, so maybe this dependency just needs to be removed.

Let me answer these paragraphs in reverse order.

Yes, you're right, the lirc packages currently in the archive do (can) not
use up to and including makedev 2.3.1-87, the versioned dependency on 
makedev (>= 2.3.1-85) is an accidentally left over artefact of trying to 
make use of it.

That said, even though lirc does (can-) not use makedev right now [1], it
needs to create the following device nodes to function [2]:
	mknod /dev/lirc c 61 0
	mknod /dev/lircd p
	mknod /dev/lircm p
which, in itself, is a serious violation against Debian Policy 10.6, but 
cannot be avoided until [3] gets fixed in makedev; as a side note, this 
does work fine/ automagically using udev:
	crw-rw---- 1 root video 61, 0 28. Apr 00:08 /dev/lirc0
	srw-rw-rw- 1 root root      0 28. Apr 00:08 /dev/lircd
	prw-r--r-- 1 root root      0 28. Apr 00:08 /dev/lircm
but still requires manual interaction for systems without (active) udev.

Given that dpkg's Breaks [4], [5] support can't be used until post-lenny, lirc 
has to ensure that either no makedev, or a fixed version is installed to 
let lirc's postinst suceed. Based on makedev (still) being "priority: 
required", a versioned dependency on makedev seems to be the only short
term fix, until Breaks support and/ or a fixed makedev package has been 
shipped in a stable release.

In the mean time I have dropped the dependency from lirc's svn [6], but 
hope to get makedev fixed in time for lenny, which would re-introduce a 
versioned dependency on makdev (which can be dropped or switched to a 
Breaks immediately post lenny).

Any advise or suggestions appreciated.

Regards
	Stefan Lippers-Hollmann

[1]	#472526: makedev: fails to create lirc device nodes 
	http://bugs.debian.org/472526
[2]	refer to make_devices() as part of lirc's maintainer scripts
	http://svn.debian.org/viewsvn/pkg-lirc/lirc/trunk/debian/lirc.postinst?rev=284&view=markup
[3]	#393575: lirc: mknod in maintainer script
	http://bugs.debian.org/393575
[4]	Breaks: makedev (<< 2.3.1-88)
	or whatever becomes the first fixed makedev version
[5]	Breaks support was added to dpkg in 1.14.6 on 05 Sep 2007, post 
	etch.
[6]	http://svn.debian.org/viewsvn/pkg-lirc/lirc/trunk/debian/control?rev=292&view=markup
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