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Author Depending on another package's source
Wesley J Landaker

2004-07-31, 5:52 pm

Andrew Suffield

2004-07-31, 5:52 pm

On Sat, Jul 31, 2004 at 03:16:50PM -0600, Wesley J Landaker wrote:
> GHDL is a VHDL compiler that's implemented as a stand-alone language
> target for GCC. The way it's typically compiled is by:
>
> 1) Unpacking the latest GCC sources -- only gcc-core is necessary.
> 2) Unpacking GHDL on top (adds 'vhdl' directory, no other modifications)
> 3) Compile GCC with --enable-languages=vhdl


This is a lunatic approach for an upstream to take. Granted that
branching gcc is excruciatingly difficult - but distributing partial
source really does suck.

> For packaging this I thought of several different scenerios:
>
> A) Include the source of gcc-core in the .orig.tar.gz
> Pro: it's the only way I've thought of yet
> Pro: immunity to [hypothetical] changes in new versions GCC
> Con: it duplicates some of what's in the gcc source package


That's about the best you're going to get. You have to undo the lunacy
by fixing a specific version of the gcc source anyway.

> B) Somehow "build-depend" on the gcc source package
> Pro: no duplication of source code
> Con: it could [hypothetically] break on a new version of GCC
> Con: I don't think you can really do this


You can't. Also, it would break randomly as the gcc source package
changes.

--
.''`. ** Debian GNU/Linux ** | Andrew Suffield
: :' : http://www.debian.org/ |
`. `' |
`- -><- |

Florian Weimer

2004-07-31, 5:52 pm

* Andrew Suffield:

> On Sat, Jul 31, 2004 at 03:16:50PM -0600, Wesley J Landaker wrote:
>
> This is a lunatic approach for an upstream to take. Granted that
> branching gcc is excruciatingly difficult - but distributing partial
> source really does suck.


It's quite common in GCC-land, and I really don't see what's so wrong
with it. 8-)

>
> That's about the best you're going to get. You have to undo the lunacy
> by fixing a specific version of the gcc source anyway.


Yes, I agree that's the way to go.


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Wouter Verhelst

2004-07-31, 5:52 pm

On Sat, Jul 31, 2004 at 10:42:37PM +0100, Andrew Suffield wrote:
> On Sat, Jul 31, 2004 at 03:16:50PM -0600, Wesley J Landaker wrote:
>
> You can't. Also, it would break randomly as the gcc source package
> changes.


In this specific case:

apt-cache show toolchain-source

(I've seen this before with other packages, although I don't recall
which ones. It seems to me that this is the most reasonable approach)

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Wesley J Landaker

2004-07-31, 5:52 pm

Wesley J Landaker

2004-07-31, 5:52 pm

Wesley J Landaker

2004-07-31, 5:52 pm

Andrew Suffield

2004-07-31, 5:52 pm

On Sat, Jul 31, 2004 at 11:45:14PM +0200, Florian Weimer wrote:
> * Andrew Suffield:
>
>
> It's quite common in GCC-land, and I really don't see what's so wrong
> with it. 8-)


I didn't say it was uncommon, I said it was insane :P

You get to spend ages juggling minor revisions of gcc and components,
in the search of a combination that actually works. Upstream is
essentially failing to perform any release management.

It's notably common for gcc because so many research projects do this
- and research projects notoriously perform no release management, but
rather just release proof-of-concept code. Unfortunately people have a
habit of copying this behaviour even when it's completely inappropriate.

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.''`. ** Debian GNU/Linux ** | Andrew Suffield
: :' : http://www.debian.org/ |
`. `' |
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