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authorP. J. McDermott <pjm@nac.net>2012-02-26 01:04:51 (EST)
committer P. J. McDermott <pjm@nac.net>2012-02-26 01:04:51 (EST)
commitf9b7eb796df8e062fcb467d0e3a0e1dc0a4a26ad (patch)
treec75c2e76d53daf5acb9e27d78493c5acaddf0d6e
parent633374b0ea4d3b4259dec0dc0571c2f9f050c9fe (diff)
Rewrite source package format rationale.
-rw-r--r--specs/source-package-format-1.0.txt27
1 files changed, 20 insertions, 7 deletions
diff --git a/specs/source-package-format-1.0.txt b/specs/source-package-format-1.0.txt
index 6d623d1..b1e08e0 100644
--- a/specs/source-package-format-1.0.txt
+++ b/specs/source-package-format-1.0.txt
@@ -33,13 +33,26 @@ into an operating system.
Rationale
=========
-This source package format is modeled after the package format of the OpenBricks
-Embedded Linux Framework. However, this format more natively supports the
-building of multiple binary packages from one source package. Additionally,
-source packages in this format are intended to be maintained independently (like
-Debian packages are) rather than in one monolithic software repository (such as
-that of OpenBricks). In this and other respects, this format draws inspiration
-from Debian's source package formats.
+This source package format is functionally similar to Debian's source package
+formats. It differs from them most noticeably in that:
+
+ * All source and binary package metadata is kept outside of the upstream
+ source directory structure,
+ * Each binary package has its metadata and scripts organized in its own
+ directory,
+ * Certain control file fields are omitted, and
+ * Packages may be configured at build time or at run time for hardware and
+ application platforms.
+
+Overall, this format is designed to be conducive to building packages for a
+highly flexible embedded operating system. Additionally, source packages in
+this format are intended to be maintained independently (like packages in Debian
+and most other GNU/Linux distributions are) rather than in one monolithic
+software repository (as is the case with most embedded operating system
+distributions).
+
+It may not be the most efficient or maintainer-friendly format, but this is an
+innovative first step and may be improved over time.
Directory Structure