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Revision 2 as of 2015-06-12 15:09:08
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Comment: Update entries, add more arch quirks, clarify .dsc implications and.changes reach
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Editor: GuillemJover
Comment: Add ref to explanation about architecture inconsistencies and problems
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Detailed explanation at https://lists.debian.org/debian-dpkg/2014/06/msg00007.html.

This is an incomplete dump of things that should have probably been done differently, but might be too late to fix or change now (barring time travel) or might be too difficult and require huge transitions or lots of work for little gain:

Architecture

  • Missing linux- prefix on Linux-based arches.

  • The ppc64/ppc64el names are inconsistent with the powerpc/powerpcel names.

  • The i386 arch bumps the GNU triplet from time to time, because supposedly packages are keying on it to select the emitted arch baseline.

  • Different ABIs not matching on the same triplet wildcard for three-form tuple arches (musl-linux-any !~ musl-linux-armhf).

  • Single-word arches not matching what some people expect when using a Debian triplet (any-arm !~ armel), and makes third party implementations harder, than simply considering any a wildcard matching that element of the tuple.

Detailed explanation at https://lists.debian.org/debian-dpkg/2014/06/msg00007.html.

.dsc

  • Conflation of .dsc format and source package format in the Format field, so changing fields now might not be possible w/o bumping the format version. Possible solutions could be to use the minor version for the .dsc format, or to add a new field, both are not pretty.

  • Maintainer and Uploaders fields have confusing names.

  • Package-List might have been called Binary-List perhaps, no Binary field.

  • Binary redundant with Binary-List (Package-List).

.changes

  • Section and Priority in the Files field (could be fixed in format 2.0).

  • Changed-by and Maintainer fields have confusing names (could be fixed in format 2.0).