Package: octave-pkg-dev
Version: 1.1.3
Severity: wishlist
Tags: patch
User: reproducible-bui...@lists.alioth.debian.org
Usertags: timestamps
Hi!
While working on Debian's “reproducible builds” effort [1], we have
noticed that none of the octave-* packages build reproducibly.
Octave, by default, writes a timestamp to (at least) the doc-cache
file output by the "pkg install" action.
The attached patch prevents this.
It will, however, change the output of all calls to the save function.
I do not know if this will be a problem, or if this matters in practice.
Possible alternative fixes:
* Don't ship the doc-cache? Octave recommend shipping it. #37542 [2]
* Call save_header_format_string at a narrower scope, to ensure it only
changes the doc-cache.
install.m -> generate_lookfor_cache.m -> doc_cache_create.m.
* Make it possible for packages to opt-in to this fix (environment
variable, perhaps?)
Regards,
Chris
[1]: https://wiki.debian.org/ReproducibleBuilds
[2]: https://savannah.gnu.org/bugs/?37542
--- a/octave-pkg.mk 2015-02-15 10:50:58.851375767 +0000
+++ b/octave-pkg.mk 2015-02-15 10:53:58.556258122 +0000
@@ -92,6 +92,8 @@
[pwd(),'/$(debpkg)/$(bpath)']); \
pkg ('local_list', [pwd(),'/$(local_list)']); \
pkg ('global_list', [pwd(),'/$(global_list)']); \
+ save_header_format_string( \
+ '# Generated by Octave during Debian package build'); \
if (exist ('PKG_ADD.bak') == 2), \
movefile ('PKG_ADD.bak', 'PKG_ADD'); \
endif; \
