[svlug] Maintaining systems without certain problematic packages (was: BAFUG)

[Rick Moen]

Sanatan Rai wrote:

> But then the `alternative' is plain: a *clean* Linux distro that doesn't
> make it mandatory to use freedesktop.org cruft. Aren't there any? Seeing
> Debian `sell out' to this particular evil *is* a bit of a blow though.

I'll start by acknowledging the quotation marks indicating that you're
speaking figuratively, not literally accusing anyone of misdeeds.  That
being said, the immediate resort to moral condemnation, and in other cases
to outright conspiratorial[1] thinking, long ago gave this subjecct a bad
name.

Distro package maintainers aren't out to push some sinister agenda.  They're
appying distro policies and compiling in library calls and features they
believe their users requested.

As usual when things go wrong, there's not an evil master plan, just people
doing their assigned jobs in semi-coordinated fashion.

I'm not convinced that minimising this malarkey requires picking a specific
distro, as there are numerous ways around problems that bear investigation,
including package-oriented recompiles to create local-variant packages.  On
RPM-based distros:

cd ~/rpmbuild/SPECS/
rpmbuild -bp mypackage.spec
cd ~/rpmbuild/BUILD/
cp existing_directory existing_directory.orig
cd existing_directory
find the file you wish to change, modify it.
cd ~/rpmbuild/BUILD/
diff -Npru existing_directory.orig exiting_directory >
name_of_your_patch_file.patch
cp name_of_your_patch_file.patch ~/rpmbuild/SOURCES/
cd ~/rpmbuild/SPECS/
edit the mypackage.spec file to add the definition of
name_of_your_patch_file.patch and the application of your_patch_file --
please look in the file to see how that is done.
rpmbuild -ba mypackage.spec

For deb-based distros:

# apt-get source foo
# apt-get build-dep foo
# cd foo-nnn
modify stuff
# debuild -us -uc foo

(Above are rough stabs at the process, and untested.)


On another note, here's what y'all missed by not being at Chez Moen for New
Year's Eve:


Hot Cocoa with Saffron Cream

1 litre / 1 at milk
225 g / 1/2 lb. dark chocolate
3 dl / 1 1/2 cup cream
1/4 g saffron

Carefully melt the chocolate and bring it and the milk to a boil, taking
care to avoid burning either.  Pour into serving cups.  Whisk the cream and
saffron until it's light and airy.  Spoon it atop the cocoa.  Serves about
five.


[1] Good evening, Mr. Bilk.  This footnote will self-destruct in ten seconds.