[maemo-developers] Continued problems with python dependencies

[From: Jeremiah C. Foster]

On Thu, 2009-06-04 at 13:55 -0400, Anderson Lizardo wrote:
> Hi Jeremiah,
> 
> On Thu, Jun 4, 2009 at 1:21 PM, Jeremiah Foster
> <jeremiah at jeremiahfoster.com> wrote:
> >  >Interesting. I will run a script here to check python packages in
> >  >Diablo that should fail to install in fremantle due to missing
> >  >dependencies, and check which of these dependencies are related to
> >  > PyMaemo packages.
> >
> > What were the results of this?
> 
> Ok, the above looks like a comment of mine :). Actually I didn't
> finish this task yet. Once I have done it, I'll report the results
> here.

Fantastico! :)
> 
> > Currently the state of python packages
> > and their dependencies is confusing. It would be really great if you
> > guys had a dependency tree, or some form of canonical list. Perhaps
> > this page could get fleshed out a little? https://garage.maemo.org/plugins/wiki/index.php?PyMaemo%20Modules&id=40&type=g
> 
> Something like this?
> 
> http://wiki.maemo.org/PyMaemo

Yes. :-)

> >  >> - They didn't know the auto-builder would let a package go through
> > to
> >  >> extras-devel with dependencies missing.
> >
> >  > I think the above two shows that the extras-devel system needs to be
> >  > more documented/promoted ?
> >
> > Which packages got built without their dependencies?
> 
> The autobuilder does not check for *runtime* dependencies, only *build
> time* ones. This is not a big issue (I think autobuilders from other
> distros do the same, but I'm not sure), as long as it is
> documented/promoted enough as Quim suggested.

Build-time dependencies (i.e. build-depends) need to be there for that
package to be built. But the Depends field in the control file should
pull in those packages that are depended upon at runtime.

> 
> >  >> - Some didn't know where the "python-support (>= 0.90.0)" dependency
> >  >> actually came from.
> >
> > This I don't understand. Developers have to have all their
> > dependencies in order to build the package locally, how would they not
> > have all the depdencies?
> 
> This can have a lot of reasons, one of them being that they simply
> don't have the extras-devel repository on their local sbox
> /etc/apt/sources.list.
> 
> And if it is a runtime dependency problem, the build will finish ok,
> although the package will not be installable. If this is the case, it
> shows yet another QA issue: that the built packages might not have
> been tested for correct installation/removal.

Yes - I agree. This is a quality control issue. The dependency chain
needs to be managed smoothly for users since they should not have to
deal with this.

> 
> >  >* python-mokoui : no idea which package is this. Jeremiah/Niels: can
> >  > it be added the your automatic building task?
> >
> > This package has been sent to the fremantle autobuilder.
> 
> I think the original maintainer has said that it should not be
> necessary anymore and that the package that broke because of it
> will/was fixed (if I remember correctly)

It does not build in fremantle, at least right now. It is called
libmokoui and I am going to try to get the errors fixed.

Thanks for your complete and prompt response Anderson, I appreciate it. 

Jeremiah