Kubuntu Debian KDE Application Packaging Collaboration

It's considered good style to feed back packaging changes to Debian. This has also the direct advantage for Kubuntu developers that merging is either easier later, or not necessary at all.

Many Debian packages of KDE applications are maintained in Alioth by the Debian KDE Extras Team at http://svn.debian.org/wsvn/pkg-kde/kde-extras/ in a SVN repository.

One possibility to minimize the work of merging when syncing KDE apps from Debian is to commit Kubuntu independent fixes directly to the KDE-Extras svn repository.

So in case you have KDE app pkgs not yet in Debian, or patches that should be incorporated into the Debian package, this page is for you

Debian KDE Extras Team Recources

• http://svn.debian.org/wsvn/pkg-kde/kde-extras/ -- the repository

• pkg-kde-extras@lists.alioth.debian.org -- mailing list receiving bugs reports, discussion (http://lists.alioth.debian.org/mailman/listinfo/pkg-kde-extras)

• pkg-kde-commits@lists.alioth.debian.org -- commit message and diff of changes in pkg-kde repo (http://lists.alioth.debian.org/mailman/listinfo/pkg-kde-commits)

• IRC: debian-qt-kde @ irc.debian.org (oftc.net) -- only for pkg-kde packaging releated topics . No OT chatting!

Commit Rights for KDE Extras Repos

• create an alioth guest account: http://alioth.debian.org/account/register.php as non DD you have to choose <whatever>-guest as username.

• send a signed e-mail to pkg-kde-talk@lists.alioth.debian.org with:

  • your alioth username
  • link to your Lauchpad account (and if you want other URLs showing you KDE pkging activity).
  • which pkging patches you have pending for debian or KDE apps pkg (URL) you would like to add to the KDE extras repo (URL)
  Keep in mind that the DDs on pkg-kde-talks not necessary known anything about even well known Kubuntu developers.
  • if you're subscribed to pkg-kde-talk mailing list or need a cc

If you have any questions send an e-mail to pkg-kde-extras@lists.alioth.debian.org. Alternatively ping AchimBohnet (allee), FathiBoudra (fabo), on TomAlbers (toma) on #kubuntu-devel.

Using the SVN Repository

The complete story (for Debian Developers) can be found in http://svn.debian.org/wsvn/pkg-kde/kde-extras/README?op=file&rev=0&sc=0

Note: that for pkgs in KDE Extras repo, all changes should be confined in the debian/ tree. So

  lsdiff -z  *.diff.gz |  grep -v /debian/  

should be empty.

Kubuntu Specific Changes

For Kubuntu specific changes create/use a kubuntu branch

  pkg-kde/kde-extras/<app>/branches/kubuntu/... 

Because such pkgs will have kubuntu in it's revision number the pkg can share the tags tree with the debian pkgs

 pkg-kde/kde-extras/<app>/tags/... 

this makes comparision of Kubuntu and Debian pkgs also easier

Package maintained already in KDE Extra

• unpack the .orig.tar.gz tarball

• cd <appdir>

• svn co svn+ssh://<ALIOTHUSERNAME>@svn.debian.org/svn/pkg-kde/kde-extras/<app>/trunk/debian/

• dch -i
• add/test your changes. E.g.
  • debuild -i
  • debi
  • test, test, test
• svn status; ...
• svn commit

New Package for an KDE Application

• Check/file an ITP wishlist report against pkg WNPP on bugs.debian.org.
• create the package

• Add it to the KDE extras repo  svn-inject -o <package>.dsc svn+ssh://<ALIOTHUSERNAME>@svn.debian.org/svn/pkg-kde/kde-extras/ 

When happy with the packaging you can send an e-mail to pkg-kde-extras ML and ask for an upload. As long as pkg is not uploaded to debian feel free to use 0kubuntu<num> version in trunk. No need to use an kubuntu branch before the package is in Debian.

Debian pkgs in Debian but not in KDE Extras Repo

Feel free to use the a kubuntu subdir in the repo to manage the kubuntu specific changes:

 pkg-kde/kde-extras/<app>/kubuntu/ 

Better of course is to join the DDs way to handle the package or convince her/him to maintain the pkgs in the pkg-kde repo.