[Packaging] Repackaged DisplayCAL as Dummy Package

Erich Eickmeyer eeickmeyer at ubuntu.com
Sat Jun 19 22:32:18 UTC 2021


Hello Release Team and Archive Administrators!

Due to the removal of Python2 from Debain [1], DisplayCAL was removed from the 
Ubuntu archives. For photogaphers and graphic artists, there is now no longer 
a professional-level display calibration application. DisplayCAL is a 
graphical frontend to ArgyllCMS, which has also been removed from Debian [2].

The upstream developer has expressed little interest in porting to Python3 and 
is not accepting help in doing so [1]. As such, it has remained without a 
Linux version as all major distributions have now dropped Python2. However, an 
unofficial movement emerged at Flathub where this application has been 
repackaged[4].

While I would have created a snap version, I don't have the know-how, and the 
flatpak version works very well. As such, we'd like to include this flatpak 
version in Ubuntu Studio. I have packaged and uploaded a "Transitional Dummy 
Package" of DisplayCAL which installs the flatpak and adds the flathub.org 
flatpak repository if necessary. Please know that this does NOT install any 
.deb repositories, and, therefore, does not violate policy.

The justification for this is that the chromium-browser package currently 
installs the snap of chromium. This is no different, except that it adds a the 
flathub repository (the defacto-default repository for flatpak) if necessary 
whereas only one snap repository exists (by design).

Please note that, much like uninstalling the chromium-browser .deb package 
doesn't uninstall the snap, this .deb of DisplayCAL does not uninstall the 
flatpak if uninstalled. If a user wishes to uninstall it, this can be done from 
the flatpak CLI tool. For users of Ubuntu Studio, we will be seeding plasma-
discover-backend-flatpak to assist from a GUI standpoint once this package is 
accepted.

Also note: since there is no upstream .deb package, and since this .deb 
package contains no upstream code, this is now a native package. It can be 
replaced later on with a quilt package if the dependencies get converted later 
on, but with the removal of argyllcms, this does not seem likely. Also, this 
can be updated to work with a snap if one becomes available.

N.B. This package has been tested and works exactly as expected. PPA build 
available in my ppa:eeickmeyer/ppa.

[1] https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=942988
[2] https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=966416
[3] https://hub.displaycal.net/issue/17813/
[4] https://flathub.org/apps/details/net.displaycal.DisplayCAL
-- 
Erich Eickmeyer
Project Leader - Ubuntu Studio
Member - Ubuntu Community Council
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