New post on DD orphaned packages.

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+Title: Time to move orphaned Debian packages to git
+Tags: english, debian
+Date: 2024-04-14 09:30
+
+<p>There are several packages in Debian without a associated git
+repository with the packaging history.  This is unfortunate and it
+would be nice if more of these would do so.  Quote a lot of these are
+without a maintainer, ie listed as maintained by the
+'<a href="https://qa.debian.org/developer.php?email=packages%40qa.debian.org">Debian
+QA Group</a>' place holder.  In fact, 438 packages have this property
+according to UDD (<tt>SELECT source FROM sources WHERE release = 'sid'
+AND (vcs_url ilike '%anonscm.debian.org%' OR vcs_browser ilike
+'%anonscm.debian.org%' or vcs_url IS NULL OR vcs_browser IS NULL) AND
+maintainer ilike '%packages@qa.debian.org%';</tt>).  Such packages can
+be updated without much coordination by any Debian developer, as they
+are considered orphaned.</p>
+
+<p>To try to improve the situation and reduce the number of packages
+without associated git repository, I started a few days ago to search
+out candiates and provide them with a git repository under the
+'debian' collaborative Salsa project.  I started with the packages
+pointing to obsolete Alioth git repositories, and am now working my
+way across the ones completely without git references.  In addition to
+updating the Vcs-* debian/control fields, I try to update
+Standards-Version, debhelper compat level, simplify d/rules, switch to
+Rules-Requires-Root: no and fix lintian issues reported.  I only
+implement those that are trivial to fix, to avoid spending too much
+time on each orphaned package.  So far my experience is that it take
+aproximately 20 minutes to convert a package without any git
+references, and a lot more for packages with existing git repositories
+incompatible with git-buildpackages.</p>
+
+<p>So far I have converted 10 packages, and I will keep going until I
+run out of steam.  As should be clear from the numbers, there is
+enough packages remaining for more people to do the same without
+stepping on each others toes.  I find it useful to start by searching
+for a git repo already on salsa, as I find that some times a git repo
+has already been created, but no new version is uploaded to Debian
+yet.  In those cases I start with the existing git repository.  I
+convert to the git-buildpackage+pristine-tar workflow, and ensure a
+debian/gbp.conf file with "pristine-tar=True" is added early, to avoid
+uploading a orig.tar.gz with the wrong checksum by mistake.  Did that
+three times in the begin before I remembered my mistake.</p>
+
+<p>So, if you are a Debian Developer and got some spare time, perhaps
+considering migrating some orphaned packages to git?</p>
+
+<p>As usual, if you use Bitcoin and want to show your support of my
+activities, please send Bitcoin donations to my address
+<b><a href="bitcoin:15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b">15oWEoG9dUPovwmUL9KWAnYRtNJEkP1u1b</a></b>.</p>