Repackaging Debian packages

SteveM · 2025-07-16 19:29:14

I maintain some Debian packages and am often held back from releasing updates due to needing to contact a sponsor to do the uploading for me. One of my packages is going to be released to Debian Stable at an older version containing a bug simply because the DD that normally sponsors that package has not replied to my e-mail for months. I have been working to get maintainer status for these packages, but that hasn't been successful yet as that too depends on DDs that are very busy.

Does Devuan have any interest in having me develop packages directly for Devuan or would you rather that I continue to contribute upstream? None of my packages are particularly important or popular. Here is a list of them for context:
https://qa.debian.org/developer.php?log … 40swm1.com

Altoid · 2025-07-16 20:15:18

Hello:

SteveM wrote:

None of my packages are particularly important ...

I beg to differ.
Every bit of work contributed to Devuan Linux is important.

I have been using your TimeShift for the longest while, if I recall correctly, since ascii.

Best,

A.

greenjeans · 2025-07-16 20:16:15

Hi SteveM, and welcome! I can't speak for the devs because i'm not one, but in general we are very grateful for anyone who's willing to lend a hand!

You might get a faster reply to your query via IRC, on Libera-chat go to #devuan-dev, that's where all the big cheeses usually hang out

RedGreen925 · 2025-07-18 15:14:51

Hi I seen this posting on the Debian Planet and immediately thought of this thread I read the other day. Especially when I read the mentorship offer part at the bottom of it. Could be worth a try to reach out and see if he can help.

https://optimizedbyotto.com/post/debcra … packaging/

greenjeans · 2025-07-18 15:24:57

^^ That's an interesting article, but the author said his program is available now using apt, but I don't see it in the repo. I wouldn't mind trying it.

SteveM · 2025-07-18 16:00:22

I have been using your TimeShift for the longest while, if I recall correctly, since ascii.

To be fair, I've only been helping with TimeShift since 2020 as an uploader and not as a maintainer. The DD that sponsors the TImeshift uploads has been doing the vast majority of the updating the past few years, but I jump in when I notice that a new version is out and he's not updated it yet.

You might get a faster reply to your query via IRC, on Libera-chat go to #devuan-dev, that's where all the big cheeses usually hang out

Thanks, I might give that a try later on. I've not had great success with chat based communication, especially if there is a large volume of conversation. If one party of the conversation suddenly needs to leave then the dialog gets lost in the noise. If there is a large time gap between people in a dialog then it quickly falls apart as one person is trying to communicate while the other is sleeping and the message get lost in the noise.

Hi I seen this posting on the Debian Planet and immediately thought of this thread I read the other day. Especially when I read the mentorship offer part at the bottom of it. Could be worth a try to reach out and see if he can help.

Thanks, I might reach out to him. I don't agree with him that having to build packages on Debian is a problem. How on earth is one supposed to test the resulting package if not on your own Debian machine?! I'm also a little uncertain how containers could be used for some packages. For example, when I think I am done building the Swift compiler the very next step is to install those new .deb files on my local system on top of the Swift compiler that I just used and re-build the package to make sure that I have produced a compiler that can still compile itself. There was one time that I did indeed build a compiler that could not rebuild itself due to some changes in upstream that my packaging needed to account for. I fear that all he has accomplished is to worsen the complaint of "Debian has too many tools to learn, often with overlapping or duplicate functionality." One of the challenges I face is that I work with 4-5 DDs to sponsor my uploads and each one has his own preferred tools and flows that they want me to use.

I enjoy contributing and seeing the work that I do spread out to Devuan, Ubuntu, and their derivatives such as Pop OS.

I don't see it in the repo.

It's in unstable https://repology.org/project/debcraft/versions

Last edited by SteveM (2025-07-18 16:05:40)

RedGreen925 · 2025-07-18 23:19:53

It's in unstable

Shows up in Trixie as well, in addition to the git clone command to install local version listed.

https://packages.debian.org/search?keyw … ection=all

askfor · Today 12:57:20

Forgive my ignorance, but what it takes to repackage for Devuan ? Most Debian packages work. I have a Debian repository added with very low priority, so that Devuan packages are favored. For purpose of installing whatever is not in Devuan repository. I suppose that packages depending on Systemd and similar needs to be developed separately, but majority should work.

I am new to Devuan, but used Debian for years at work previously. Before Systemd. So, I might be wrong about this.

golinux · Today 14:08:21

You do not need to add Debian repositories to Devuan and in fact should not do that because all Debian packages that are compatible with Devuan are already passed through to Devuan with this bit of "Amprolla Magic":

https://dev1galaxy.org/viewtopic.php?id=3192

SteveM · Today 15:27:44

askfor wrote:

what it takes to repackage for Devuan ?

There's no magic involved and its really quite simple. In Devuan there are two types of packages, those that come from Debian in binary form and those that are built from source by Devuan to remove systemd or to provide Devuan theming/branding. This is different from Ubuntu which rebuilds all Debian packages from source even if they make no modifications.

There is a banned list which contains the names of the files not to get from Debian in binary form. If a package is not on the banned list then when you APT install it the Devuan repo redirects you to pull the binary from a Debian repo. My request was to allow the addition or more packages to the banned list so that the package could be maintained directly in Devuan instead of in Debian. There is no interest in this or anything that is not related to removing systemd from Debian so I moved on.

fsmithred · Today 15:56:58

Note: The list of banned packages is not the same as the list of forked packages, and there is no intersection of those lists. We fork packages to remove unnecessary dependency on systemd. We ban packages that can't be forked (things that are necessarily dependent on systemd). For example - systemd itself is banned, not forked.

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#1 2025-07-16 19:29:14

Repackaging Debian packages

#2 2025-07-16 20:15:18

Re: Repackaging Debian packages

#3 2025-07-16 20:16:15

Re: Repackaging Debian packages

#4 2025-07-18 15:14:51

Re: Repackaging Debian packages

#5 2025-07-18 15:24:57

Re: Repackaging Debian packages

#6 2025-07-18 16:00:22

Re: Repackaging Debian packages

#7 2025-07-18 23:19:53

Re: Repackaging Debian packages

#8 Today 12:57:20

Re: Repackaging Debian packages

#9 Today 14:08:21

Re: Repackaging Debian packages

#10 Today 15:27:44

Re: Repackaging Debian packages

#11 Today 15:56:58

Re: Repackaging Debian packages

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