Please backport config-package-dev 5.0 to lucid, precise, and quantal

[Geoffrey Thomas]

This is a followup to #1153009, which synced config-package-dev 5.0 to raring. (This bug report is mostly adapted from that one.)

config-package-dev is a set of extension modules for CDBS and Debhelper (including a dh7 sequencer module) to allow site sysadmins to create Debian packages for system configuration. It's extensively used by the MIT Debathena project, where it originated, and used by a handful of other sites.

I released config-package-dev 5.0 a few days ago (it's Debian-native), which includes the Debhelper and dh7 support, and it was just synced to raring. The previous versions of config-package-dev only support CDBS.

The CDBS module in config-package-dev 5.0 remains completely API-compatible with 4.x, and furthermore, there are no packages in the archive that build-depend on config-package-dev (since it's primarily intended for use at a specific site to configure their OS, not by an upstream distribution), so the regression potential is basically nonexistent. I've tested the new version on everything in Debathena, to be confident.

Backporting config-package-dev would allow us to encourage its use by folks learning Debian packaging today, since dh7 is gaining popularity over CDBS. I gave a lightning talk at UDS-Q about config-package-dev, and the number one question I received is "When will it support dh7 and not just CDBS?"

I've made sure that the package builds cleanly on all supported Ubuntu releases from Lucid onwards, and tested it on Debathena's sbuild-based build server and made sure that all of the test packages in examples/ build fine on all of these releases. If you're curious, these builds are in http://debathena.mit.edu/apt in the debathena-system component of the precise-development etc. pockets.

I primarily want backports for Lucid, Precise, and Quantal. I'm happy to have an Oneiric backport also, but it's being desupported soon, so I don't particularly care.

config-package-dev (5.0) unstable; urgency=low

  * Add Debhelper support (Debathena: #867) (Closes: #693672). This
    release includes a new command, dh_configpackage, and a sequencer
    extension, dh --with config-package.
  * Use the terms "displace" and "hide" for actions of the
    config-package-dev system, instead of the terms "divert" and
    "remove", which already have existing (related) meanings in the
    context of Debian packages.
  * Move examples/* to examples/cdbs/*, and create examples/debhelper/*,
    with the same packages using Debhelper 7-style packaging.

  * Change config-package-dev's own packaging to Debhelper 7.
  * Bump Standards-Version to 3.9.4 (no changes required).
  * Update Vcs-Git and Vcs-Browser locations to new upstream.
  * Drop CDBS runtime dependency. CDBS users should be explicitly
    Build-Depending on CDBS, probably through use of the @cdbs@ macro in
    debian/control.in.

 -- Geoffrey Thomas <email address hidden> Wed, 06 Mar 2013 17:14:42 -0800

[Micah Gersten (micahg)]

I've gone ahead and added the output from requestbackport for completeness. In the future, please use requestbackport from ubuntu-dev-tools to file such requests as it adds the appropriate backport projects and lists the testing required based on the oldest release you'd like to backport to.

[Geoffrey Thomas (geofft)]

Just wanted to check in what the status of this request is -- should I do something to push this forward?

[Micah Gersten (micahg)]

Uploaded and accepted based on testing provided