EmmetHikory

Revision 38 as of 2007-05-05 16:26:43

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Emmet Hikory

Opinions

.desktop files

  • It is important for all packages that are intended for GUI launch to contain .desktop files. These currently serve two purposes, firstly they are required for the target applications to be displayed in the menus, and secondly, both adept-installer and gnome-app-install depend on the presence of .desktop files to determine whether an application is a target for installation.

    [https://lists.ubuntu.com/archives/ubuntu-devel/2006-July/019257.html This email] provides an opposing view. While I agree with many of the points, especially with regard to translation, I feel that Ubuntu does not benefit from interesting applications being hidden from adept-installer or gnome-app-install. The effort to install .desktop files for all of Universe if being tracked as ["MOTU/Packages/NoDesktopFile"], to which everyone may contribute.

    Many .desktop files do not match current specifications (mine included :)). ["UniverseDesktopFileAbsolutePath"] describes some of the common problems and their fixes, and notes that all created or modified .desktop files should be checked with desktop-file-validate (from desktop-file-utils) prior to submission. When packaging, please be sure to install the .desktop files to /usr/share/applications or a subdirectory, and call dh_desktop in the binary-indep or binary-arch rules. Where possible, provide both a .png icon, and a 32x32 .xpm icon, with a basename matching the binary package name. In only very rare cases should more than one .desktop file be included in a single binary package, as this may confuse the installers.

config.{sub,guess}

  • The ideal way to refresh config.{sub,guess} for each build is to either use CDBS, or the following debian/rules fragment: 

configure:
        cp -f /usr/share/misc/config.sub config.sub
        cp -f /usr/share/misc/config.guess config.guess

clean:
        rm -rf config.guess config.sub

Native package versioning

  • In Debian, native packages are versioned as package-version (rather than package-version-revision used for non-native packages), and NMUs are versioned as package-version-0.N (where N is the number of NMUs since the Maintainer last uploaded). I believe that Ubuntu ought to version Ubuntu changes to Debian native packages as package-version-0ubuntuX (where X is the Ubuntu revision number). This allows for seamless merge with Debian NMUs. If this is not done, when native-1.2 is updated by ubuntu, it becomes native-1.2ubuntu1, which is larger than native-1.2-0.1, so that the package may not be synchronised if the Ubuntu changes were adopted, and Ubuntu must create native-1.2ubuntu2 to process the changes (as native-1.2-0.1ubuntu1 is also a lower version than native-1.2ubuntu1).

Tools

  • attachment:src-get is designed to ease the download of sources from multiple repositories, without adding them to the system sources.list. I find it useful for comparing revision differences between Ubuntu and Debian

Background

  • I first encountered C and UNIX on an HP/UX system in 1984, and switched to UNIX as a primary home computing environment with SunOS 4.1.3_U! in 1991. I started using Linux with Yggdrasil in 1993, first started using Debian with Potato, and switched to Ubuntu shortly after the Warty release.

Ubuntu Activities

Launchpad

Post-Warty

  • I spent a fair amount of time in #ubuntu, both receiving support for issues in my environment, and assisting others with issues in theirs.

Pre-Breezy

  • I prepared patches to address issues with my unusual hardware, began to prepare .desktop files for inclusion in packages, and wrote some scripts to automate .desktop generation from the Debian menu system. I spent a fair amount of time triaging bugs, and participated in several Bug Days, including acting as primary coordinator for the 17th September Bug Day.

Wiki Pages:

Pre-Dapper

  • I continued to triage bugs, and participate in #ubuntu-bugs. I also began to work on the .desktop files in earnest, drafting many and preparing icons for packages that lacked them. As the release approached, I assisted with some of the topic targets from #ubuntu-motu, including merges, libjack0.80->libjack0.100 transtion, dh_iconcache addition, libopenal0->libopenal0a transition, and preparing new upstreams to target high-profile bugs.

Wiki Pages:

Pre-Edgy

  • I spent some time guiding others towards the creation of more .desktop files, and triaged more bugs.

Pre-Feisty

  • I assisted with merges and sync planning, preparing patches for bugs, and providing support and guidance to participants in #ubuntu-bugs and #ubuntu-motu.

Wiki Pages:

  • ["Bugs/HowToFix"] ["MOTU/Launchpad/Guide"]

Pre-Gutsy

  • I have assisted with merges, processed the libflac++5c2->libflac++5 transition, am spearheading the wxwindows2.4 -> wxwidgets2.6 migration, and generating patches to various bugs.

Wiki Pages:

  • ["EmmetHikory/wx2.4Migration"]

Future Plans

  • I expect to keep maintaining "my" packages (particularly teg, vegatrike, and torcs), submitting patches for things that annoy me, creating .desktop files, and helping MOTU efforts here and there.

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