[buildd-tools-devel] Bug#868527: Bug#868527: want sbuild --no-source or something

[Ian Jackson]

Johannes Schauer writes ("Re: [buildd-tools-devel] Bug#868527: want sbuild --no-source or something"):
> Indeed, the task to solve is how to transfer the source into the chroot.
> 
> But is $(dpkg-source -Zgzip -z0 --format=1.0 -sn) really the right
> thing to do?  Would it not be more fitting to use some git-based
> command to exchange the data? For example using a git bundle? This
> would then make sure that everything git knows about is transferred
> into the chroot. Sbuild can make sure that git gets installed
> together with build-essential and is thus able to git unbundle the
> file.
> 
> What do you think?

That would be a perfectly fine answer from my point of view.  However,
it has a few different behaviours.  I'm not sure what is best.

Things I thought of:

1. If there are files which are ignored, or uncommitted, this would
   use the committed files.  I think this is a benefit.

2. Using git this way means git is definitely in the chroot.
   But a package might build differently.  For example, it might
   have a stealth b-dep on git, which this approach wouldn't detect.
   I think this is a downside of using git.

3. The git approach cannot be easily used with a different VCS.

4. Building and unpacking a git bundle is pointless work when we know
   that the destination completely trusts the source, and does not
   have any objects already.  A tarball would do.

>From the point of view of a dgit user, item 1 is quite important and
IMO outweighs the other considerations.

Regards,
Ian.