CS packaging on Debian/Ubuntu

[Christian Bayle]

Hi,

A long time ago I submitted some code in CS svn repository to package 
deb for CS.
I was not very active on this task, and I'm happy to announce that the 
packaging will
be handled by the Debian Games Team (http://wiki.debian.org/Games) in 
coordination
with Ubuntu on Alioth pkg-games project 
(https://alioth.debian.org/projects/pkg-games/ )
thanks to Goneri Le Bouder that made alioth setup and Devid Antonio 
Filony that
reworked the package for Ubuntu.

Devid packages are available for Ubuntu Karmic on his PPA at 
https://edge.launchpad.net/~d.filoni/+archive/ppa

The packaging code will be committed soon in his last improvement in the 
debian git repository:
http://git.debian.org/?p=pkg-games/crystalspace.git;a=summary
This page explain how packaging with git works: 
http://wiki.debian.org/Games/VCS

As far as it's done I plan to remove the code from CS svn tree and put a 
README
with proper references.

I've just two remarks about the current  CS code,  that would ease the 
packaging.

1-CS make use of nvidia CG library that is not Debian/Ubuntu compliant 
to be included in main
Debian or Ubuntu, this make that this part is not included in the packaging.
It should be packaged in a separate package for contrib in Debian, 
multiverse in Ubuntu.
It would be of great help to separate this code from the rest, I mean in 
a different directory,
with a separate build that make use of installed CS library like CEL 
does I assume.
This remark is also available for any other piece of code that depends 
on non-free/multiverse code,
usually because there are license restrictions on the redistribution of 
the code.

2-Debian/Ubuntu Packaging requires to make man pages for  each  binary 
installed in /usr/bin
It is convenient to build these man pages with help2man, it would be 
convenient that CS output
works well with help2man.

If you have got a Game depending on CS you would like to see packaged,
or you would like to help for packaging, I assume the Games Team will be 
happy
to collaborate with you. Devid told me he plans to work on CEL package.

Cheers

Christian