Bug#250202: "debian/README.source" file for packages with non-trivial source

[Frank Küster <frank@kuesterei.ch>]

Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org> wrote:

> Frank Küster <frank@kuesterei.ch> writes:
>> Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org> wrote:
>
>>> I believe the devref instructions are wrong.  The proper location for
>>> this information is debian/copyright, which is already required to
>>> contain information about the provenance of the upstream source.
>
> I take this back -- devref has apparently already been changed.  I should
> have checked first.

I was also using an outdated copy... 

> Putting this information in debian/copyright is unrelated to DFSG-freeness
> or the license of the software.  debian/copyright has several purposes
> specified in Policy, not just the license information, and one of them is
> to state the provenance of the source:
>
>     In addition, the copyright file must say where the upstream sources
>     (if any) were obtained.
>
> Explaining where and how the .orig.tar.gz file was generated to me falls
> into the category of saying where the upstream source was obtained.

I must admit I wasn't aware of that.

> I feel rather strongly (to be honest, more strongly than I should, since
> it's really bikeshed-painting at some level, but I have a hard time
> getting myself to realize that) about putting the source information in
> debian/copyright and hence am not willing to make this change in the
> absence of a clearer consensus that I'm wrong.

I agree with you now.

Regards, Frank
-- 
Frank Küster
Debian Developer (teTeX/TeXLive)