/usr/share/doc/fig2dev/CHANGES.gz is a broken symlink

[Nate Eldredge]

nate@minerva:~$ ls -l /usr/share/doc/fig2dev/CHANGES.gz
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 12 Aug 14 12:22 /usr/share/doc/fig2dev/CHANGES.gz -> changelog.gz
nate@minerva:~$ ls -l /usr/share/doc/fig2dev/changelog.gz
ls: cannot access '/usr/share/doc/fig2dev/changelog.gz': No such file or directory

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.10
Package: fig2dev 1:3.2.6-2
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.8.0-32.34-generic 4.8.11
Uname: Linux 4.8.0-32-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: wl
ApportVersion: 2.20.3-0ubuntu8.2
Architecture: amd64
Date: Fri Jan 6 21:07:13 2017
SourcePackage: fig2dev
UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to yakkety on 2016-12-19 (19 days ago)

[Hans Joachim Desserud (hjd)]

Thanks for taking your time to report this issue and help making Ubuntu better.

I can confirm that this symlink is still broken in fig2dev 1:3.2.6-3 on Ubuntu Zesty.

[Hans Joachim Desserud (hjd)]

I looked a bit more into this issue and planned to forward the issue to Debian, but I discovered that the symlink is only broken in Ubuntu. Comparing the filelist for the package in Debian Sid [1] and Ubuntu Zesty [2], we can see that /usr/share/doc/fig2dev/changelog.gz is included on the Debian side, but is not present when the package is rebuilt on Ubuntu.

I'm going out on a limb here, but it looks like the following line
dh_installchangelogs -k CHANGES
in the rules file [3] is responsible for creating the symlink. So maybe there's a slight difference in this which is somehow causing this issue. I've taken the liberty of marking this as also affecting debhelper, but feel free to reassign if this is wrong or I'm missing something obvious.

[1] https://packages.debian.org/sid/amd64/fig2dev/filelist
[2] http://packages.ubuntu.com/zesty/amd64/fig2dev/filelist
[3] https://tracker.debian.org/media/packages/f/fig2dev/rules-1%3A3.2.6-3

[Niels Thykier (niels-thykier)]

This looks like it is caused by the Ubuntu specific changes to dh_installchangelogs.

Namely, the original debhelper will look for (among other) "CHANGES" as an upstream changelog. Ubuntu have removed this to save disk space and leads to debhelper picking "changelog" as a candidate for the "main package" (and nothing for others).

[dino99 (9d9)]

That version is now dead
http://news.softpedia.com/news/ubuntu-17-04-zesty-zapus-has-reached-end-of-life-upgrade-to-ubuntu-17-10-now-519360.shtml

[Nate Eldredge (nate-thatsmathematics)]

The bug is still present in 17.10, with fig2dev 1:3.2.6a-3. Should this
bug report be updated and reopened, or should I create a new one?

On Sun, 25 Feb 2018, dino99 wrote:

> That version is now dead
> http://news.softpedia.com/news/ubuntu-17-04-zesty-zapus-has-reached-end-of-life-upgrade-to-ubuntu-17-10-now-519360.shtml
>
> ** Changed in: fig2dev (Ubuntu)
> Status: Confirmed => Invalid
>
> ** Changed in: debhelper (Ubuntu)
> Status: New => Invalid
>
> --
> You received this bug notification because you are subscribed to the bug
> report.
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1654703
>
> Title:
> /usr/share/doc/fig2dev/CHANGES.gz is a broken symlink
>
> Status in debhelper package in Ubuntu:
> Invalid
> Status in fig2dev package in Ubuntu:
> Invalid
>
> Bug description:
> nate@minerva:~$ ls -l /usr/share/doc/fig2dev/CHANGES.gz
> lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 12 Aug 14 12:22 /usr/share/doc/fig2dev/CHANGES.gz -> changelog.gz
> nate@minerva:~$ ls -l /usr/share/doc/fig2dev/changelog.gz
> ls: cannot access '/usr/share/doc/fig2dev/changelog.gz': No such file or directory
>
> ProblemType: Bug
> DistroRelease: Ubuntu 16.10
> Package: fig2dev 1:3.2.6-2
> ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.8.0-32.34-generic 4.8.11
> Uname: Linux 4.8.0-32-generic x86_64
> NonfreeKernelModules: wl
> ApportVersion: 2.20.3-0ubuntu8.2
> Architecture: amd64
> Date: Fri Jan 6 21:07:13 2017
> SourcePackage: fig2dev
> UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to yakkety on 2016-12-19 (19 days ago)
>
> To manage notifications about this bug go to:
> https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/debhelper/+bug/1654703/+subscriptions
>
>

--
Nate Eldredge
<email address hidden>

[Hans Joachim Desserud (hjd)]

Thanks for checking back, Nate. I've reopened this, and tagget artful as well.

No need to file a new bug when this already contains the relevant information.

[Hans Joachim Desserud (hjd)]

I can confirm that the issue is also present in fig2dev 1:3.2.6a-6ubuntu1 on Ubuntu bionic.