missing packages in universe?

[Stefan Kluth]

On Fri Sep 24 02:38:57 CDT 2004, Matt Zimmerman wrote:

> On Thu, Sep 23, 2004 at 04:21:29PM +0200, Stefan Kluth wrote:

>> so some packages are missing ... but it exists happily in
>> debian/unstable, section science.  I thought everything in
>> debian/unstable is made available in universe?

> The source packages are made available, and we make an attempt to build
> them.  However, if they fail to build, we do not take time to fix them
> as a matter of course.  (contrast with main and restricted, where
> failures are high-priority bugs)

> If it is something which can be trivially fixed, LaMont will fix it;
> otherwise, patches are gratefully accepted.  We have a release to make.
> :-)

After reading a little more about the ubuntu plilosphy I understand the
problem.  I don't know (yet) how to fix he broken package (paw in
universe) in question, however on my second attempt of installing my
favourite from universe I found the next problem ...

I tried "digikam" (KDE photo management).  Installing kde went fine
without trouble (very nice actually!).  Running in kde, "apt-get install
digikam" failed.  I resorted to "apt-get buildeps digikam" which worked
(good!).  The build broke with a trivial source code problem present in
digikam in debian/unstable at the time you took your snapshot.  After
fixing the bug digikam build, installed and run ok.  Then I got the source
from debian unstable and the bug was fixed there already.  So a trivial
fix for digikam in ubuntu would be to replace your source with the
one from debian.

After these two examples I have a more general and perhaps naiive
question: why don't you snapshot debian testing instead of unstable as a
starting point for your releases?  That would imply a start from a more
stable system with fewer problems of the kind discussed above.

Cheers, Stefan

---Stefan Kluth, PhD----------Wissenschaftlicher Mitarbeiter-----------
-  MPI fuer Physik         -  phone:  +49 89 32354 468  -      OPAL&  -
-  Foehringer Ring 6       -  fax:    +49 89 32354 305  -      ATLAS  -
---D-80805 Munich, Germany----e-mail: skluth at mppmu.mpg.de--------------