Fwd: RFS: Scenic 0.6.0 - Telepresence software for live performances and installations

Sat Jun 5 05:26:32 UTC 2010

Hello!

2010/6/5 Alexandre Quessy <alexandre at quessy.net>:
> Hello again!
>
> I just thought about an issue that makes my package 33% unusable. :)
> The MIDI streaming feature (which would be provided by the new
> midistream package) relies on either python-portmidi or python-pygame
>>= 1.9.1. Those two packages are not in Debian yet!
>
> Actually, python-pygame 1.9.1 is in Ubuntu Lucid, but not in Debian
> Sid. I have been trying to contact the maintainer, and later answered
> to a bug about this. See
> http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=544347 ... Maybe it
> is too late before the the release of Squeeze? There might be quite a
> few packages that depend on python-pygame. I also have an other
> package - toonloop 1.2.8 - that needs python-pygame, for its V4L2
> video input feature and the MIDI feature.
>
> For the MIDI feature, which is our main interest for scenic, an other
> package could provide it. It's python-portmidi. I packaged it, but did
> not contribute it yet, since the original author thought it would be
> nice to send it upstream, but it's taking time. It's not there yet:
> http://sourceforge.net/apps/trac/portmedia/browser/portmidi/trunk (4
> months with no activity) My changes to the upstream along with my
> packaging files are at http://bitbucket.org/aalex/pyportmidi/wiki/Home
>
> So, either we ask the maintainers of the pygame package to update it,
> or we package python-portmidi. I think that merging the pyportmidi
> code with portmidi0 would take too much time and effort for now.
> (before Squeeze) Anyways, the python-portmidi should be a separate
> package from portmidi0, so ... should fill a ITP and package it now?
> :)
>
> Note that the scenic application can still run, it's only that the
> MIDI features will be disabled.
>
> (more text below...)
>
> 2010/6/4 Jonas Smedegaard <dr at jones.dk>:
>> On Fri, Jun 04, 2010 at 04:57:40PM -0400, Alexandre Quessy wrote:
>>>
>>> Hello Jonas,
>>>
>>> So I have set up a Debian sid box. That will help. :)
>>
>> Good!
>>
>>
>>> 2010/6/4 Jonas Smedegaard <dr at jones.dk>:
>>>>
>>>> On Thu, Jun 03, 2010 at 11:59:18AM -0400, Alexandre Quessy wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Done. I will have to add your license to the copyright of some of the
>>>>> Debian packaging.
>>>>
>>>> What I do is maintain packaging licensing in debian/rules.  And I
>>>> (ideally, when not too lazy) do not add licensing info of others but instead
>>>> request them to add it themselves. ;-)
>>>>
>>>
>>> Oops! I added your name to debian/copyright. Please edit it or remove it
>>> if it's not the way you like.
>>
>> No problem.  I only tried to aim at a best practice. :-)
>>
>>
>>>>>> It does seem, however, from a quick glance, that some parts of the
>>>>>> project is not arch-limited.  It might be a good idea to split packaging to
>>>>>> provide most possible to all archs.
>>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> That would be nice, but it's probably going to be difficult. The
>>>>> jack-info, dc-ctl and midistream utilities could be packages separately, and
>>>>> should be useful for the multimedia-loving masses. Since scenic relies on
>>>>> milhouse, they could be packaged together. Again, I am a close-to-beginner
>>>>> in packaging, so I am not sure where to start, especially that the current
>>>>> build process is unified and using a single autotools configure.ac script.
>>>>> It would imply splitting it upstream, no?
>>>>
>>>> Packaging typically goes like this:
>>>>
>>>>  1. Prepare
>>>>  2. configure
>>>>  3. build
>>>>  4. install
>>>>  5. reinstall into package area
>>>>  6. tune packaging
>>>>
>>>> Here, steps 2-4 is done by autotools, and 5-6 is done by debhelper.
>>>>
>>>> So splitting into multiple packages is (more or less) a simple matter of
>>>> adding more binary packages in debian/control and hinting in
>>>> debian/*.install which autotools-installed parts each of them should
>>>> contain.
>>>>
>>>
>>> Ok, so in this case, let's say we brake it into 3 packages:
>>>
>>> * scenic (contains the Python app, the documentation, the glade data,
>>> and the icon, etc.)
>>> * scenic-utils (dc-ctl, firereset, jack-info and milhouse
>>>  executables. Man pages and some shared libraries)
>>> * midistream (python app and man page)
>>>
>
> Maybe it would be nice to also create the scenic-doc package, to
> separate the doc from the Python code. (though both are architecture:
> all)
>

I put the current contents of the package, and how it could split up:
https://svn.sat.qc.ca/trac/scenic/wiki/PackagesContents

> For now, the docbook documentation (viewable with yelp) are in an
> unusual location. (/usr/share/scenic/docbook) It should probably go to
> /usr/share/gnome/help/scenic/C/scenic.xml like all gnome docs. Our
> docbook doc is made of several XML files and images, though, and we
> have two manuals...
>
>>> The easiest way would be to create 3 *.install files. The quick
>>> benefit to this, is that we will have a few packages that are
>>> architecture-independant, namely the two Python-only binary packages:
>>> scenic and midistream. That totally makes sense.
>>
>> Yes, that seems sensible (from reading it alone - I must admit that I have
>> not yet tried compiling the project and looking at the results).
>>
>
> It's rather complex to actually use it to its fullest - it needs two
> computers - but the GUI should work right away. For the command-line
> lovers, the "advanced" tutorials in the "User manual" under the "Help"
> menu are a good intro to the "milhouse" command-line tool.
>
>>
>>> I am looking for an example of doing this... (which uses cdbs and the
>>> autotools, if possible) Got any?
>>
>> sugar-0.88
>>
>> That one also demonstrates quite well IMO how a large amount of package
>> dependencies are easier to track indirectly declared in debian/rules, as
>> they they can be grouped and comments added as needed.
>>
>
> This is very interesting and am I looking forward to learn more about
> this. I will make some tests soon.
>
> Later,
> Alex
>
>>
>>  - Jonas
>>
>> --
>>  * Jonas Smedegaard - idealist & Internet-arkitekt
>>  * Tlf.: +45 40843136  Website: http://dr.jones.dk/
>>
>>  [x] quote me freely  [ ] ask before reusing  [ ] keep private
>>
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>>
>>
>
>
>
> --
> Alexandre Quessy
> http://alexandre.quessy.net/
>

-- 
Alexandre Quessy
http://alexandre.quessy.net/