Bug#645491: Please rewrite package description
Justin B Rye
jbr at edlug.org.uk
Sun Oct 16 13:31:37 UTC 2011
Martin Eberhard Schauer wrote:
[...]
> Perhaps the description would benefit from using some upstream (2)
> information:
>
> GLib provides the core application building blocks for libraries
> and applications written in C. It provides the core object system
> used in GNOME, the main loop implementation, and a large set of
> utility functions for strings and common data structures.
This is a classic case where the developers aren't great at seeing
things from an outsider's point of view, and you're better off asking
someone else, like Wikipedia:
# GLib is a cross-platform software utility library that began as part
# of the GTK+ project. However, before releasing version 2 of GTK+,
# the project's developers decided to separate non-GUI-specific code
# from the GTK+ platform, thus creating GLib as a separate product.
# GLib was released as a separate library so other developers, those
# that did not make use of the GUI-related portions of GTK+, could
# make use of the non-GUI portions of the library without the overhead
# of depending on a full-blown GUI library.
Freshmeat has:
# GLib is a library containing many useful C routines for things such
# as trees, hashes, and lists. GLib was previously distributed with
# the GTK toolkit, but has been split off as of the developers'
# version 1.1.
> Perhaps a new description could start like this:
>
> Description: GLib - GNOME infrastructure library
> GLib provides the core object system used in GNOME, the main
> loop implementation, and a large set of utility functions for
> strings and common data structures.
If you follow Wikipedia's links you'll see that GTK(+) was originally
written for the GIMP; far from being specific to the GNOME desktop,
GLib can be pulled in even on a barebones X-less backup-server (as a
dependency for amanda). I'd suggest a synopsis along the lines of:
Description: basic C utilities from GTK+
There's no point calling it either a library or set of libraries when
we already know it's a lib- in Section: libs.
The existing long description is already quite good, but maybe we
could bulk it out with some historical context:
GLib is a set of useful C routines for handling data structures such as
trees, hashes, and lists. It was originally part of the Gimp ToolKit,
now the basis of the GNOME project, but it was split off to form an
independent, non-GUI-specific resource.
> The second paragraph is beyond my scope. Ideas:
>
> 1) This package contains some special purpose libraries compiled
> from the GLib sources.
>
> 2) This package contains the libglib, gio-querymodules,
> glib-compile-schemas, libgio, libgmodule, libgobject,
> and libgthread libraries.
>
> 3) This package contains libraries for IO, object and
> thread handling as well as ..
Wikipedia itemises its components as "GObject, Glib, GModule, GThread,
GIO", but that's only true since GTK+2; for all I know it might need
updating by the time Wheezy goes stable, so I'm not sure it's wise to
make the description any more specific than it is at present.
I wasn't going to bother giving a patch until I saw some of the other
descriptions in the same control file that I could de-garble in
passing.
--
JBR with qualifications in linguistics, experience as a Debian
sysadmin, and probably no clue about this particular package
-------------- next part --------------
diff -ru glib2.0-2.28.8.pristine/debian/control glib2.0-2.28.8/debian/control
--- glib2.0-2.28.8.pristine/debian/control 2011-10-15 17:15:40.000000000 +0100
+++ glib2.0-2.28.8/debian/control 2011-10-16 14:26:45.952547983 +0100
@@ -39,10 +39,11 @@
gnome-session (<< 3.0.0-3),
gdm3 (<< 3.0.3)
Replaces: libglib2.0-dev (<< 2.23.2-2)
-Description: GLib library of C routines
- GLib is a library containing many useful C routines for things such
- as trees, hashes, lists, and strings. It is a useful general-purpose
- C library used by projects such as GTK+, GIMP, and GNOME.
+Description: basic C utilities from GTK+
+ GLib is a set of useful C routines for handling data structures such as
+ trees, hashes, and lists. It was originally part of the Gimp ToolKit,
+ now the basis of the GNOME project, but it was split off to form an
+ independent, non-GUI-specific resource.
.
This package contains the shared libraries.
@@ -52,15 +53,14 @@
Architecture: any
Depends: ${misc:Depends},
${shlibs:Depends}
-Description: GLib library of C routines - minimal runtime
- This is a udeb, or a microdeb, for the debian-installer.
- .
- GLib is a library containing many useful C routines for things such
- as trees, hashes, lists, and strings. It is a useful general-purpose
- C library used by projects such as GTK+, GIMP, and GNOME.
+Description: basic C utilities from GTK+ - minimal runtime
+ GLib is a set of useful C routines for handling data structures such as
+ trees, hashes, and lists. It was originally part of the Gimp ToolKit,
+ now the basis of the GNOME project, but it was split off to form an
+ independent, non-GUI-specific resource.
.
This package contains the minimal runtime library needed by the Debian
- installer.
+ Installer.
Package: libglib2.0-bin
Section: misc
@@ -72,13 +72,13 @@
Conflicts: libglib2.0-0 (<< 2.25.11-2),
Replaces: libglib2.0-0 (<< 2.25.11-2),
libglib2.0-dev (<< 2.25.11-2)
-Description: Programs for the GLib library
- GLib is a library containing many useful C routines for things such
- as trees, hashes, lists, and strings. It is a useful general-purpose
- C library used by projects such as GTK+, GIMP, and GNOME.
+Description: basic C utilities from GTK+ - binaries
+ GLib is a set of useful C routines for handling data structures such as
+ trees, hashes, and lists. It was originally part of the Gimp ToolKit,
+ now the basis of the GNOME project, but it was split off to form an
+ independent, non-GUI-specific resource.
.
- This package contains the program files which is used for the libraries
- and others.
+ This package contains some simple commandline utilities for GLib.
Package: libglib2.0-dev
Section: libdevel
@@ -91,13 +91,14 @@
zlib1g-dev
Recommends: python
Suggests: libglib2.0-doc
-Description: Development files for the GLib library
- GLib is a library containing many useful C routines for things such
- as trees, hashes, lists, and strings. It is a useful general-purpose
- C library used by projects such as GTK+, GIMP, and GNOME.
+Description: basic C utilities from GTK+ - development files
+ GLib is a set of useful C routines for handling data structures such as
+ trees, hashes, and lists. It was originally part of the Gimp ToolKit,
+ now the basis of the GNOME project, but it was split off to form an
+ independent, non-GUI-specific resource.
.
This package is needed to compile programs against libglib2.0-0,
- as only it includes the header files and static libraries (optionally)
+ as it includes the header files and static libraries (optionally)
needed for compiling.
Package: libglib2.0-0-dbg
@@ -108,22 +109,23 @@
libglib2.0-0 (= ${binary:Version})
Conflicts: libglib2.0-dbg
Replaces: libglib2.0-dbg
-Description: Debugging symbols for the GLib libraries
- GLib is a library containing many useful C routines for things such
- as trees, hashes, lists, and strings. It is a useful general-purpose
- C library used by projects such as GTK+, GIMP, and GNOME.
- .
- This package contains detached debugging symbols.
+Description: basic C utilities from GTK+ - debugging symbols
+ GLib is a set of useful C routines for handling data structures such as
+ trees, hashes, and lists. It was originally part of the Gimp ToolKit,
+ now the basis of the GNOME project, but it was split off to form an
+ independent, non-GUI-specific resource.
.
- Most people will not need this package.
+ This package contains detached debugging symbols, which are not
+ normally needed.
Package: libglib2.0-data
Architecture: all
Depends: ${misc:Depends}
-Description: Common files for GLib library
- GLib is a library containing many useful C routines for things such
- as trees, hashes, lists, and strings. It is a useful general-purpose
- C library used by projects such as GTK+, GIMP, and GNOME.
+Description: basic C utilities from GTK+ - common files
+ GLib is a set of useful C routines for handling data structures such as
+ trees, hashes, and lists. It was originally part of the Gimp ToolKit,
+ now the basis of the GNOME project, but it was split off to form an
+ independent, non-GUI-specific resource.
.
This package is needed for the runtime libraries to display messages in
languages other than English.
@@ -133,22 +135,28 @@
Architecture: all
Depends: ${misc:Depends}
Suggests: devhelp
-Description: Documentation files for the GLib library
- GLib is a library containing many useful C routines for things such
- as trees, hashes, lists, and strings. It is a useful general-purpose
- C library used by projects such as GTK+, GIMP, and GNOME.
+Description: basic C utilities from GTK+ - documentation
+ GLib is a set of useful C routines for handling data structures such as
+ trees, hashes, and lists. It was originally part of the Gimp ToolKit,
+ now the basis of the GNOME project, but it was split off to form an
+ independent, non-GUI-specific resource.
.
- This package contains the HTML documentation for the GLib library
- in /usr/share/doc/libglib2.0-doc/ .
+ This package contains documentation for GLib, in devhelp HTML format
+ under /usr/share/doc/libglib2.0-doc/.
Package: libgio-fam
Architecture: hurd-any kfreebsd-any
Depends: ${shlibs:Depends},
${misc:Depends}
Recommends: gamin
-Description: GLib Input, Output and Streaming Library (fam module)
- GIO is the input, output and streaming API of GLib. This package
- provides a fam file and directory monitoring backend for it.
+Description: basic C utilities from GTK+ - GIO fam module
+ GLib is a set of useful C routines for handling data structures such as
+ trees, hashes, and lists. It was originally part of the Gimp ToolKit,
+ now the basis of the GNOME project, but it was split off to form an
+ independent, non-GUI-specific resource.
+ .
+ This package provides a file-and-directory monitoring back-end for
+ GIO, the input, output, and streaming API of GLib.
Package: libglib2.0-0-refdbg
Section: debug
@@ -157,11 +165,11 @@
Depends: ${misc:Depends},
${shlibs:Depends},
libglib2.0-0 (= ${binary:Version})
-Description: GLib library of C routines - refdbg library
- GLib is a library containing many useful C routines for things such
- as trees, hashes, lists, and strings. It is a useful general-purpose
- C library used by projects such as GTK+, GIMP, and GNOME.
- .
- This package contains the shared library built with
- --disable-Bsymbolic so that it can be used with refdbg, a GObject
- refcount debugger.
+Description: basic C utilities from GTK+ - refdbg library
+ GLib is a set of useful C routines for handling data structures such as
+ trees, hashes, and lists. It was originally part of the Gimp ToolKit,
+ now the basis of the GNOME project, but it was split off to form an
+ independent, non-GUI-specific resource.
+ .
+ This package contains the shared library built with --disable-Bsymbolic
+ so that it can be used with refdbg, a GObject refcount debugger.
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