Supporting distro re-packaging (Was: [sclug] Linux Apprentice Wanted !)

[Dickon Hood]

On Tue, Nov 07, 2006 at 13:04:30 +0000, Jacqui Caren wrote:

: I understand why some distros rework apache config (I actually like the
: MDK config set up) but "starting from source" seems to be the only way
: to avoid compiled in distro stupidities.

: I have seen responses to the effect of "build from source and let us 
: know if it still fails" and the resposnes are always very negative
: and is never followed.

The problem is that it's the only sane response an upstream can provide,
unless they know the distribution in question.  When you have several
dozen different operating systems to support, this just isn't feasible.

'Compile from source and tell us if it still fails' is the only sane
response for the simple reason that a *lot* of distributions -- Debian in
particular I know does this -- patch the source before compiling.  How
exactly is an upstream supposed to support a package that has been altered
from the original by an author he probably doesn't know, in line with
policies he's probably unaware of, for an operating system he almost
certainly doesn't run?

I agree with Raz, though: learn how to say 'no'.

-- 
Dickon Hood

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