Wireshark-dev: Re: [Wireshark-dev] Future of Wireshark's Debian packaging scripts in the main r

From: João Valverde <j@xxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 20 Dec 2023 20:23:26 +0000


On 20/12/23 16:06, Roland Knall wrote:
Ok, I am not ignoring those points, as I think those points are valid. It makes sense, that building debian packages from the repository should behave in the same way as it does with the overall projects. Now, one could argue, that having multiple packages could have been avoided in the beginning or it should be changed, that would be a valid discussion being had, but I do not think it invalidates those points and arguments. Yes, debian is different but it is also the base (through ubuntu) for the majority of linux distributions as wells Microsofts own variety in wsl2 (at least if you go with the default one), and therefore it should be considered as such.

I don't know what you are trying to get at. I'm not trying to say what Debian should or shouldn't do.  They are free to decide for themselves. I would never presume to tell them what they should do, although I have strong opinions on that. There are lots of problems with their package but that is something to be discussed in the Debian bug tracker, not here. This project isn't part of Debian. This fact seems to be lost on some people.



The libvirt plugin is a valid example of where we messed up. And with we I mean the whole project. We provided this path and we kept it maintained for far too long, but it is here now and a solution needs to be found. We started on that road with stating that we allow invalidating the api in major version releases and also minor version releases to some extend. The argument, that libvirt is still doing something they should not be doing is valid. But the solution here is not hindering the compatibility, but getting in touch with them and figuring out how to do it properly together. We created this path, we should not destroy it but help others find a safer route. And libvirt is indeed being used by quite a few people.

I don't understand what any of this means, sorry. I'm not being facetious, could be my own fault. I have written many Wireshark plugins so I know a lot about that topic. What problems are the libvirt people experiencing that I am not? What strange and mystical path is this that we are on? Why did we mess up? Please enlighten me. Really, I would like to know so we can have a fruitful conversation about this because right now I am really confused.