[needs-packaging] HexChat

[Jakob Kramer]

HexChat originally is a fork of XChat which seems to be inactive, the last version was released on 30th May 2010.

HexChat also has some other improvements: http://hexchat.readthedocs.org/en/latest/changelog.html

URL: http://hexchat.github.io
License: GPL v2 (but linking with OpenSSL is allowed)

The source code is being provided via git on GitHub: https://github.com/hexchat. Make sure to read that before building: http://hexchat.readthedocs.org/en/latest/building.html

[Brian Murray (brian-murray)]

*** This is an automated message ***

This bug is tagged needs-packaging which identifies it as a request for a new package in Ubuntu. As a part of the managing needs-packaging bug reports specification, https://wiki.ubuntu.com/QATeam/Specs/NeedsPackagingBugs, all needs-packaging bug reports have Wishlist importance. Subsequently, I'm setting this bug's status to Wishlist.

[bviktor (bviktor)]

Now XChat-WDK is called HexChat. Website:

http://www.hexchat.org/

Announcement:

https://www.facebook.com/HexChat/posts/386623631396756

Source Code:

https://github.com/hexchat/hexchat

2.9.0 has been released already but it has some serious problems. They have been addressed already, so you should wait at least until 2.9.1. It's expected to be released within a few weeks.

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[Gwendal LE BIHAN (gwendal-lebihan-dev)]

I've setup a PPA with packages of HexChat for releases from Natty to Quantal.
Version 2.9.1 is currently available in it.

It is available there : https://launchpad.net/~gwendal-lebihan-dev/+archive/hexchat-stable

Please let me know if you encounter any issues with it.

[Daniel Gimpelevich (daniel-gimpelevich)]

I think your package should do Provides and Replaces xchat.

[Daniel Gimpelevich (daniel-gimpelevich)]

Also, your package suffers from bug 933822. You should use this as a base:
https://code.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/xchat

[Gwendal LE BIHAN (gwendal-lebihan-dev)]

@Daniel Gimpelevich : Thanks, for these remarks.
I've included the patch for bug 933822, I'm now reviewing the other patches in order to include the relevant ones.

About the control file, I think the Provides and Replaces fields should be added in case HexChat gets included in the official Ubuntu repos. As long as the package is only available via PPA, I don't think I should add them.

[Guest One (g.one)]

@Daniel Gimpelevich : i don't think that HexChat can replace XChat because XChat development is not dead.
It must be included in official repositories as a separate package.

[Daniel Gimpelevich (daniel-gimpelevich)]

@Jeff : All commits to XChat's source code repository are auto-mirrored in HexChat's source code repository. It's a wholesale replacement, and XChat _is_ dead.

[Guest One (g.one)]

2012/10/22 Daniel Gimpelevich <email address hidden>

> @Jeff : All commits to XChat's source code repository are auto-mirrored
> in HexChat's source code repository. It's a wholesale replacement, and
> XChat _is_ dead.
>

@Daniel: can you explain why XChat should be dead?
The latest SVN log is dated *Fri Jul 27 03:07:08 2012 UTC* (2 months, 3
weeks ago) ( from http://xchat.svn.sf.net/viewvc/xchat/?view=log )

[Daniel Gimpelevich (daniel-gimpelevich)]

 @Jeff: What's the last commit you can find that wasn't also committed to HexChat? Near as I can see, commits to XChat at this point are geared only toward some future Windows binary release, which might not even happen now. There hasn't been a single commit to XChat in 3 months, and the most recent commit to HexChat was just a couple of minutes ago. I can't even scroll back 3 months in its log because of all the commits since.

[bviktor (bviktor)]

@Jeff: I'm not saying HexChat should replace XChat. Honestly, I don't care much about the XChat package. But adding HexChat would be really nice.

Anyway, have you actually checked out the commits? Last commit: the Tcl maintainer replaced his email address in file headers (this is his first commit in the last 3 years I think). Anything else in the last 2 years comes from the Perl maintainer (or Peter committing a 3rd party patch every year or so), who's the ONLY active committer left. Nobody else has access. The project's basically immutable, there are no managers besides Peter, who does not reply to emails (yeah, not even the ones that come from the Perl maintainer).

[Guest One (g.one)]

2012/10/23 bviktor <email address hidden>

> But adding HexChat would be really
> nice...
>

 I agree.

So, if XChat is really dead we don't need it anymore and can be replaced by
HexChat; i think that this is a work to do in synchrony with Debian.

[Alchera (barrysuridge)]

Ubuntu "precise" 12.04:

2.9.4-0ubuntu3~raring1 does not compile/install a tcl plugin. Those at hexchat.org advise that HexChat across all platforms includes the Tcl plugin. I do know that the Windows version does.

[Gianfranco Costamagna (costamagnagianfranco)]

Sync request asked here
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1282474

[Gianfranco Costamagna (costamagnagianfranco)]

The package now is in trusty, so closing this "need package" bug.

Now users can choose between xchat and hexchat, as they prefer.

[Fred (eldmannen+launchpad)]

XChat by defaults goes to the network "Ubuntu Servers" which is irc.ubuntu.com which redirects to freenode.

HexChat by default goes straight to freenode.

[Fred (eldmannen+launchpad)]

Also XChat has #ubuntu as a favorite channel and marked as default join.

HexChat does not do this.

Having #ubuntu as a marked channel is good for us to build a community.

[Daniel Gimpelevich (daniel-gimpelevich)]

Fred, you can file that as a bug in the hexchat package. This bug is in the xchat package.