Re: testing if Ubuntu deb file for ASCEND works in Debian....

>From: Alan Ianson <agianson@gmail.com>
>To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
>Subject: Re: testing if Ubuntu deb file for ASCEND works in Debian....
>Date: Mon, 25 Jun 2007 07:20:24 -0700
>
>On Mon, 2007-25-06 at 13:54 +0000, Michael Fothergill wrote:
>
>Sorry, this was meant fort the list.. :)
>
> > Dear Debianists,
> >
> > I have been working with an engineering modelling program called ASCEND.
> > You can get it from sourceforge and it has a wikipedia page.
> >
> > See:
> >
> > http://ascendwiki.cheme.cmu.edu/
> >
> >
> > I have a version of it compiled on my AMD64 box here that works OK
>courtesy
> > of the kind assistance of one of the developers, John Pye.
> >
> > I have been distracted with stuff for a while but I am eventually going
>to
> > try to make a deb file for Etch for the AMD64 version of ASCEND and
> > distribute it.
> >
> > I have read a few web pages on making deb files and I guess there will
>be a
> > steep learning curve involved to get the deb file checked out and
>registered
> > (or whatever happens to them) by the Debian community.
>
>Good idea. If the package is useful to others why not try to get one of
>the debian developers or package maintainers to package it and have it
>added to the debian archive. They will need your assistance if they
>don't use the software themselves. They could likely roll it out without
>much further ado whereas you or I would lose some of our hair.. :)
>
>It would need to enter experimental or unstable first so it may take
>time for it to become "stable".
>
>I forget exactly how to ask that a package be added to debian, something
>along the lines of a bug report requesting the software be packaged.

I have started to read the Debian policy tome and will then move on to the maintainers guide tome. I will need to find out exactly what kind of license this software has got. Then I can figure out whether it belongs in Debian free or non free.

>
> > However, the developers have made an Ubuntu deb file and put on the
> > sourceforge site where it can be downloaded. One of them suggested I
>try to
> > get it to work under Debian Etch and see if it succeeds. I have a 32
>bit
> > machine at work (AMD Duron 1200 MHz) that is running the i386 version of
> > Debian Etch 4.0 (r0) and I am going to try installing the deb file and
>see
> > how it goes.....
> >
> > I downloaded the deb file from the following link:
> >
> >
>https://sourceforge.net/project/downloading.php?group_id=167528&filesize=4682680&filename=ascend_0.9.5.109-1feisty_i386.deb&36060585

I tried installing it on the i386 machine at work and I discovered that it needs llibsundials-serial0, python-matplotlib python-numpy and libktable. I couldn't find the sundial libraries anywhere in Synaptic in Etch 4.0 r(0) i386. Maybe they are there but under some different package name I don't recognise. I couldn't see python-matplotlib or python-numpy in there either. I guess libktable might be part of tktable. I am not sure if tktable is around in i386 Etch.
I am going to nose around on the internet and find individual deb files for these packages and copy them on to a CDROM. I will take them to work and manually install them on my machine with the dpkg command.

If you read the Debian policy tome then it says that there is a general email packages@debian.org or something that goes to a whole tribe of package maintainers somewhere.....
Is that where you are supposed to send an email asking if anyone is interested to help turn it all into a proper Debian package?

> >
> >
> > There is also a deb file in there for Ubuntu Edgy that apparently uses
>the
> > Debian sundials libraries... Maybe that one would be easier to install
>in
> > Etch.....
> >
> > The other dumb question I have is what do I do with the single deb file?
> > Normally I read loads of them in from the installation DVD's I burn from
>the
> > iso files released by hte developers.
> >
> > I have never done anything with an isolated deb file like this before.
> >
> >
> > Can I do something like apt install /home/mikef/ascend/ascend_edgy.deb
>and
> > it will work or is some other hocus pocus required?
>
>I do dpkg -i /path/to/the/newfile.deb in a case like that.
>
>It may have depends and hopefully they are already or can be satisfied.
>After running dpkg I run aptitude and see if it has any complaints or
>solutions.
>
> > Some useful information on building ASCEND in Ubuntu is here:
> >
> > http://ascendwiki.cheme.cmu.edu/Building_ASCEND#Ubuntu_6.10
> >
> > >From looking at it I am not sure if all the dependent software will be
> > installed automatically, I think I will have to do some manual stuff as
> > well.
> >
> > Comments appreciated.
> >
> > I guess if I can get one of these deb files to work it could also be
>billed
> > as a "new" Etch deb file.
> >
> > Regards
> >
> > Michael Fothergill
> >
> > _________________________________________________________________
> > Who's that on the Red Carpet? Play & win glamorous prizes.
> >
>http://club.live.com/red_carpet_reveal.aspx?icid=REDCARPET_hotmailtextlink3
> >
> >
>
>
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