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List:       dng
Subject:    [DNG] The wonderful world of usrmerge
From:       Martin Steigerwald <martin () lichtvoll ! de>
Date:       2024-02-15 15:30:00
Message-ID: 2380793.NG923GbCHz () lichtvoll ! de
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Hi!

Two recent encounters:

1) An update to kmod broke make bindeb-pkg to compile a kernel from =

upstream=B9. Notably: With applied usrmerge! Fortunately Marco reverted the =

change for now. I saved a copy of a working kmod version for later use, =

just in case.

2) I am thankful for Lorenzo warning about things starting to break =

without usrmerge with a runit update. However once I updated a more rarely =

updated Devuan system, a ThinkPad X1 Gen 1 tablet, I did not think of it =

anymore. Yet that system was not converted into compliance with usrmerge =

yet. Things broke. Badly so. No kmod in path, no nothing in path, building =

initramfs failed and connecting to WLAN was broken, too. So I did what =

needed to be done. I download usrmerge package and three of its Perl =

dependencies to an USB stick and installed them on the tablet. The tablet =

does not have an Ethernet port so unless finding a USB to Ethernet thing =

USB stick was the way to go.

Granted, the second thing would not have happened on Debian, cause it =

would have enforced usrmerge already. Or at least so I bet.

However I still wonder: Is it really worth it comparing the possible and/
or alleged benefit to the work that needs to be done and the breakage that =

happens during doing that work? I know its a theoretical question. The =

answer does not matter. Some Debian developers spend their time on it and =

that is their choice. But it still appears to be like an gigantic waste of =

time for little, if at all, benefit.

Anyway, it is what they do and no need to really discuss it here, I would =

have to bring this up in Debian communication channels. But it would be a =

waste of my time. I bet I just wanted to express my wonder and in a way =

disappointment about it in a place that is friendly enough to do so. I =

have faced attacks on German Debian user mailing list for just expressing =

my dissatisfaction with the first issue already, cause I dared to challenge =

Debian's approach to usrmerge. Debian communication channels often enough =

only appear to be safe in case you agree with anything and everything. =

There is a serious lack in the soft skills related to "agree to disagree". =

I really enjoy the community here. People express their opinions. =

Sometimes strongly. But still agree to disagree is working much better =

here.

I still think with usrmerge it will be better for Devuan to go with it. =

The amount of work to deviate from it would put a considerable burden on =

the Devuan developers. It is important to carefully pick your fight. I know =

some of you do not agree and that is fine with me.


[1] FTBFS: depmod: FATAL: could not search modules: No such file or =

directory

https://bugs.debian.org/1063804

Ciao,
-- =

Martin


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