Debian Bug report logs - #790899
epydoc: please support timestamps from environment

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Message #5 received at submit@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Reiner Herrmann <reiner@reiner-h.de>

To: submit@bugs.debian.org

Subject: epydoc: please support timestamps from environment

Date: Thu, 02 Jul 2015 21:13:39 +0200

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Source: epydoc
Version: 3.0.1+dfsg-7
Severity: wishlist
Tags: patch
User: reproducible-builds@lists.alioth.debian.org
Usertags: toolchain timestamps
X-Debbugs-Cc: reproducible-builds@lists.alioth.debian.org

Hi!

In 3.0.1+dfsg-6 a patch has been added that allows packages to disable embedding of timestamps.
But the default behavior of epydoc is to still embed timestamps (which requires modifications
for each package using epydoc).
If timestamps have to be kept, we have a proposal for using deterministic ones [1] (based on
the latest debian/changelog entry), which is contained in the environment variable
SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH (which will hopefully soon be exported by debhelper).

The attached patch proposes a way to use this variable to get reproducible timestamps, if the
variable has been set (if not, it falls back to the old behavior).

Regards,
 Reiner

[1]: https://wiki.debian.org/ReproducibleBuilds/TimestampsProposal

[epydoc.patch (text/x-diff, attachment)]

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Message #10 received at 790899@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Kenneth Pronovici <pronovic@debian.org>

To: Reiner Herrmann <reiner@reiner-h.de>, 790899@bugs.debian.org

Cc: "Loper, Edward" <edloper@gmail.com>

Subject: Re: Bug#790899: epydoc: please support timestamps from environment

Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2015 14:56:19 -0500

On Thu, Jul 2, 2015 at 2:13 PM, Reiner Herrmann <reiner@reiner-h.de> wrote:
> In 3.0.1+dfsg-6 a patch has been added that allows packages to disable embedding of timestamps.
> But the default behavior of epydoc is to still embed timestamps (which requires modifications
> for each package using epydoc).
> If timestamps have to be kept, we have a proposal for using deterministic ones [1] (based on
> the latest debian/changelog entry), which is contained in the environment variable
> SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH (which will hopefully soon be exported by debhelper).
>
> The attached patch proposes a way to use this variable to get reproducible timestamps, if the
> variable has been set (if not, it falls back to the old behavior).

Hi Reiner,

I have been following the reproducible builds effort.  I appreciate
you providing this patch.  However, I have some concerns with it.

My main concern is that this patch adds some rather Debian-specific
behavior to epydoc.  I'm not entirely comfortable with this, given
that eypdoc is a general-purpose tool which just happens to be used
when building some Debian packages.  Adding a new command-line switch
is one thing, but changing behavior to respond silently to a
environment variable feels different to me.  This would be the only
environment variable that epydoc pays any attention to.

I skimmed through the comments in #787444, and I gather that help2man
has added support for this environment variable. Are you filing
similar bugs with other documentation-generator packages in Debian?
Have other packages committed to supporting it?   Are you expecting
this to become a standard used by other Linux distributions?

It seems like relatively few Debian packages use epydoc as part of
their build process.  I guess I'm questioning whether it's really
worth adding this Debian-specific behavior just to avoid changing
those packages.

I'm not saying no, but I would like to get a better handle on some of
these questions before I apply the patch and release a new package.
I've also CC'd upstream (Edward Loper) to see if he has an opinion one
way or the other.

Thanks,

KEN

Message #15 received at 790899@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Reiner Herrmann <reiner@reiner-h.de>

To: Kenneth Pronovici <pronovic@debian.org>

Cc: 790899@bugs.debian.org, "Loper, Edward" <edloper@gmail.com>, reproducible-builds@lists.alioth.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#790899: epydoc: please support timestamps from environment

Date: Thu, 2 Jul 2015 22:27:02 +0200

[Message part 1 (text/plain, inline)]

Hi Ken and Edward,

On Thu, Jul 02, 2015 at 02:56:19PM -0500, Kenneth Pronovici wrote:
> I have been following the reproducible builds effort.  I appreciate
> you providing this patch.  However, I have some concerns with it.
> 
> My main concern is that this patch adds some rather Debian-specific
> behavior to epydoc.  I'm not entirely comfortable with this, given
> that eypdoc is a general-purpose tool which just happens to be used
> when building some Debian packages.  Adding a new command-line switch
> is one thing, but changing behavior to respond silently to a
> environment variable feels different to me.  This would be the only
> environment variable that epydoc pays any attention to.

In our opinion it would be best if no timestamps were embedded at all
(by default), since they don't provide users any meaningful information.
But this makes it harder to convince upstreams to adopt it.
A slightly different behavior during package building (and in all other
cases having the old behavior) is probably easier to upstream.

> I skimmed through the comments in #787444, and I gather that help2man
> has added support for this environment variable. Are you filing
> similar bugs with other documentation-generator packages in Debian?
> Have other packages committed to supporting it?   Are you expecting
> this to become a standard used by other Linux distributions?

We only recently started experimenting with this, so until now
there are no other packages besides help2man supporting it.
Since today we have a modified debhelper in our experimental toolchain
repository which exports this variable.
Another patch was also submitted for txt2man (#790801), and more
patches for other documentation generators / toolchain packages
will be submitted in the future.
And yes, we hope that this will become a standard used also by
other distributions (that's why we chose a neutral name).

> It seems like relatively few Debian packages use epydoc as part of
> their build process.  I guess I'm questioning whether it's really
> worth adding this Debian-specific behavior just to avoid changing
> those packages.

In my opinions it's better to fix the root of the problems instead
of adapting each affected package.
And we hope that it won't remain something "Debian-specific".

> I'm not saying no, but I would like to get a better handle on some of
> these questions before I apply the patch and release a new package.
> I've also CC'd upstream (Edward Loper) to see if he has an opinion one
> way or the other.

Thanks for considering it! :)
We uploaded also a patched epydoc to our repository today and are
currently rebuilding affected packages [1]. The page should be
updated soon.

Kind regards,
 Reiner


[1]: https://reproducible.debian.net/issues/unstable/use_epydoc_issue.html

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Message #20 received at 790899@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Kenneth Pronovici <pronovic@debian.org>

To: Reiner Herrmann <reiner@reiner-h.de>, 790899@bugs.debian.org

Cc: "Loper, Edward" <edloper@gmail.com>, reproducible-builds@lists.alioth.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#790899: epydoc: please support timestamps from environment

Date: Mon, 6 Jul 2015 13:38:08 -0500

On Thu, Jul 2, 2015 at 3:27 PM, Reiner Herrmann <reiner@reiner-h.de> wrote:
> Thanks for considering it! :)
> We uploaded also a patched epydoc to our repository today and are
> currently rebuilding affected packages [1]. The page should be
> updated soon.

Ok, what you're asking for makes sense to me.  I agree that it seems
worthwhile to make these changes in Epydoc.  I'm traveling this week
for work.  Unless Edward objects, I'll plan to apply the patch and
upload a new package to unstable sometime after I'm back, hopefully no
later than next weekend.

KEN

-- 
Kenneth J. Pronovici <pronovic@debian.org>

Message #29 received at 790899@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Kenneth Pronovici <pronovic@debian.org>

To: Kenneth Pronovici <pronovic@debian.org>

Cc: Reiner Herrmann <reiner@reiner-h.de>, 790899@bugs.debian.org, "Loper, Edward" <edloper@gmail.com>, reproducible-builds@lists.alioth.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#790899: epydoc: please support timestamps from environment

Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2015 11:22:59 -0500

On Mon, Jul 6, 2015 at 1:38 PM, Kenneth Pronovici <pronovic@debian.org> wrote:
> On Thu, Jul 2, 2015 at 3:27 PM, Reiner Herrmann <reiner@reiner-h.de> wrote:
>> Thanks for considering it! :)
>> We uploaded also a patched epydoc to our repository today and are
>> currently rebuilding affected packages [1]. The page should be
>> updated soon.
>
> Ok, what you're asking for makes sense to me.  I agree that it seems
> worthwhile to make these changes in Epydoc.  I'm traveling this week
> for work.  Unless Edward objects, I'll plan to apply the patch and
> upload a new package to unstable sometime after I'm back, hopefully no
> later than next weekend.

I have filed a related bug in the upstream bug tracker:
https://sourceforge.net/p/epydoc/bugs/368/

I updated the original patch to include man/epydoc.1, adding a section
called REPRODUCIBLE BUILD BEHAVIOR.  I also tweaked the patch
description to better match the bug report I filed at SourceForge.

I'll be uploading 3.0.1+dfsg-8 later today, including this patch.  I
have tested epydoc's general behavior, but I have not specifically
tested the behavior around SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH.  I am assuming you will
tell me if the current version of the package does not meet your needs
for the Reproducible Builds effort.

Please let me know if you need anything else.

KEN

-- 
Kenneth J. Pronovici <pronovic@debian.org>

Message #34 received at 790899-close@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: pronovic@debian.org (Kenneth J. Pronovici)

To: 790899-close@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Bug#790899: fixed in epydoc 3.0.1+dfsg-8

Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2015 16:33:58 +0000

Source: epydoc
Source-Version: 3.0.1+dfsg-8

We believe that the bug you reported is fixed in the latest version of
epydoc, which is due to be installed in the Debian FTP archive.

A summary of the changes between this version and the previous one is
attached.

Thank you for reporting the bug, which will now be closed.  If you
have further comments please address them to 790899@bugs.debian.org,
and the maintainer will reopen the bug report if appropriate.

Debian distribution maintenance software
pp.
Kenneth J. Pronovici <pronovic@debian.org> (supplier of updated epydoc package)

(This message was generated automatically at their request; if you
believe that there is a problem with it please contact the archive
administrators by mailing ftpmaster@ftp-master.debian.org)


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Hash: SHA256

Format: 1.8
Date: Sun, 12 Jul 2015 15:37:33 +0000
Source: epydoc
Binary: python-epydoc epydoc-doc
Architecture: source all
Version: 3.0.1+dfsg-8
Distribution: unstable
Urgency: medium
Maintainer: Kenneth J. Pronovici <pronovic@debian.org>
Changed-By: Kenneth J. Pronovici <pronovic@debian.org>
Description:
 epydoc-doc - tool for documenting Python modules (documentation)
 python-epydoc - tool for documenting Python modules
Closes: 790899
Changes:
 epydoc (3.0.1+dfsg-8) unstable; urgency=medium
 .
   * Add patches/honour_source_date_epoch.patch (closes: #790899)
     - This is a request from the Reproducible Builds project
     - The new patch adds support for SOURCE_DATE_EPOCH to generate timestamps.
Checksums-Sha1:
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 26e60b2c2c7e6bcfbb843e014d749870e46dc37b 15648 epydoc_3.0.1+dfsg-8.debian.tar.xz
 799f608fc69a1b6c31f3cefd4ad46fb3b86aa022 897854 epydoc-doc_3.0.1+dfsg-8_all.deb
 179f859778bb581decd9dec22483f6d056588d2b 219534 python-epydoc_3.0.1+dfsg-8_all.deb
Checksums-Sha256:
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 9706ab359864212550c81f15e4497b0d123ffdf82004dad384e57f0710597315 219534 python-epydoc_3.0.1+dfsg-8_all.deb
Files:
 5b81ba09a0fd090f60c7d893f85b0ad4 1825 python optional epydoc_3.0.1+dfsg-8.dsc
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 415685dfd36e67cf01ef25bef48736b3 219534 python optional python-epydoc_3.0.1+dfsg-8_all.deb

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