[Pkg-fonts-devel] [idea]: please consider to compress your package with xz

[Hideki Yamane]

Hi list,

 I've update some font packages with compressing via xz and I believe
 it's worth for us. So, I propose you to consider to build your packages
 with xz also.


 Maybe you already read announce at d-d-a [*] in last year, there's
 a mail about xz compression. He said in it,

> Additionally please only use xz (or bzip2 for that matter) if your
> package really profits from its usage (for example, it provides a
> significant space saving). 

 and, yes, I think its worth to apply xz for some font packages.

 *: "The archive now supports xz compression"
     https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce/2011/08/msg00001.html


---------------------------------------------------------------------
* How it's efficient?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

 For example, there's a list that packages I've put to repository,
 - before xz and after.

$ du -m fonts-*.deb
(snip)
43      fonts-horai-umefont_439-1_all.deb
25      fonts-horai-umefont_439-2_all.deb
13      fonts-mikachan_9.1-6_all.deb
5       fonts-mikachan_9.1-7_all.deb
20      fonts-unfonts-core_1.0.2-080608-5_all.deb
15      fonts-unfonts-core_1.0.2-080608-6_all.deb
11      fonts-unfonts-extra_1.0.2-080608-4_all.deb
7       fonts-unfonts-extra_1.0.2-080608-5_all.deb
42      fonts-yozvox-yozfont-antique_13.08~beta17-dfsg-1_all.deb
30      fonts-yozvox-yozfont-antique_13.08~beta18-dfsg-1_all.deb
29      fonts-yozvox-yozfont-cute_13.08~beta17-dfsg-1_all.deb
21      fonts-yozvox-yozfont-cute_13.08~beta18-dfsg-1_all.deb
30      fonts-yozvox-yozfont-edu_13.08~beta17-dfsg-1_all.deb
21      fonts-yozvox-yozfont-edu_13.08~beta18-dfsg-1_all.deb
30      fonts-yozvox-yozfont-new-kana_13.08~beta17-dfsg-1_all.deb
21      fonts-yozvox-yozfont-new-kana_13.08~beta18-dfsg-1_all.deb
41      fonts-yozvox-yozfont-standard-kana_13.08~beta17-dfsg-1_all.deb
30      fonts-yozvox-yozfont-standard-kana_13.08~beta18-dfsg-1_all.deb

 Result: Largest difference is *18MB* for only one .deb 
         - it's enough, isn't it? :)


 And also in its announce,

> While those methods may compress better they
> often use more CPU time to do so and a very small decrease in package
> size is hardly worth the extra effort placed on slower systems. Think of
> both user systems and the Debian buildds which will waste more time - an
> especially bad problem on slower architectures.

 - "arch: all" packages are NOT built with those slower architectures.
   Just you build it and put to repository.
 - Most of font packages are used in Desktop environment. It means users 
   would use those with powerful machines.

 So, no worry about update to xz.


---------------------------------------------------------------------
* How to compress with xz?
---------------------------------------------------------------------

 If you build package with dh7 or later, it's simple. Please add these lines
 to your debian/rules.

override_dh_builddeb:
        dh_builddeb -- -Zxz

 That's all :)



-- 
Regards,

 Hideki Yamane     henrich @ debian.or.jp/org
 http://wiki.debian.org/HidekiYamane