[Debian-olpc-devel] Packaging instructions

[Edward Cherlin]

Thanks. If you can suggest any particularly easy examples, I will be
grateful. My priority right now is Turtle Art and Turtle Art
Portfolio. As far as I know, they are all in Python with no weird
libraries. I'll talk to you again after I get back from SCALE
(Southern California Linux Expo) where I will be talking about the
digital textbook project.

On Sun, Feb 15, 2009 at 2:03 PM, Jonas Smedegaard <dr at jones.dk> wrote:
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> On Sun, Feb 15, 2009 at 11:27:14AM -0800, Edward Cherlin wrote:
>>Where can I find instructions for turning .xo bundles into Debian
>>packages? I need to get moving on a few, and to recruit others to join
>>in.
>
> There is (as far as I know of) no automated way to convert .xo packages
> to .deb packages.
>
>
> All Sugar packages currently officially in Debian are built "by hand"
> from tarballs, using the packaging helper tools debhelper, CDBS and
> git-buildpackage.
>
> A good introduction to packaging Debian packages in general is her:
> http://people.debian.org/~mpalmer/debian-mentors_FAQ.html#firstpackage
>
> CDBS is documented officially here:
> http://build-common.alioth.debian.org/cdbs-doc.html
>
> Personally, however, I never read that CDBS documentation (for many
> years I didn't even know that it existed, even though I wrote parts of
> CDBS myself!) but just look at the actual CDBS files included from
> debian/rules: they are just a bunch of make rules acting as templates
> for common packaging routines repeated almost identical across packages.
>
>
> For packaging Sugar activities, I recommend starting out with an
> existing, simple (i.e. Python-based and not using special libraries)
> existing package - like sugar-pippy-activity. Inside the source of that
> package is the file debian/README.source containing some hints on
> packaging with git-buildpackage. Some more hints are here:
> http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/debian-olpc-devel/2008-August/000518.html
>
> Beware, though, if you are new to Debian packaging in general, that the
> use of CDBS helps make the continued _maintainance_ of packages simpler,
> but does not make it simpler to _understand_ packaging. So if you are
> new to Debian packaging in general, you might want to either leave the
> packging to others, or team up with someone that is interested in
> maintaining packaging without the use of CDBS (i.e. not me).
>
> Apart from the actual packaging, you can help with prioritizing the
> activities most wanted to get packaged first, and file "RFP" bugs for
> them. And you can help maintain already packaged activities.
>
>
>
> Hope that helps.
>
> Kind regards,
>
>  - Jonas
>
>
> - --
> * Jonas Smedegaard - idealist og Internet-arkitekt
> * Tlf.: +45 40843136  Website: http://dr.jones.dk/
>
>  [x] quote me freely  [ ] ask before reusing  [ ] keep private
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-- 
Silent Thunder (默雷/धर्ममेघशब्दगर्ज/دھرممیگھشبدگر ج) is my name
And Children are my nation.
The Cosmos is my dwelling place, The Truth my destination.
http://wiki.sugarlabs.org/go/User:Mokurai (Ed Cherlin)