[Tinkerphones] [Gta04-owner] QtMoko2 again...

[H. Nikolaus Schaller]

Hi Jonas,

> Am 25.10.2017 um 19:32 schrieb Jonas Smedegaard <jonas at jones.dk>:
> 
> Quoting H. Nikolaus Schaller (2017-10-25 17:44:50)
>> Back to the original problem: I had not expected that there is a need 
>> for a configure-make-install. Since we are fully Debian.
> 
> How do you mean configure-build-install isn't needed? QtMoko is compiled 
> code, so will need to be compiled.

Indeed.

But you shouldn't have to to type configure & make to start the
dpkg-buildpackage wrapped by a makefile.

The dpkg-buildpackage of course must do a configure & make for the source
tree, but hide that from the user.

IMHO, something is done here upside down.

My initial mistake was to assume that I can directly call dpkg-buildpackage
after unpacking the source tree. It turned out that this does not work.
At least not without modifications.

> 
> 
>> It should even be possible to use apt-source -b - if we have proper 
>> source packages. So it looks as if the build architecture of QtMoko is 
>> upside down...
>> 
>> Maybe it is historical since this is still Squeeze and Wheezy code and 
>> multiarch wasn't complete back then. On Jessie or Stretch I think it 
>> could be much simpler if the debian/rules are updated.
> 
> I believe the reason QtMoko build routines fit badly with Debian style 
> of packaging is that it does not use existing shared Qt libraries but 
> instead embeds its own fork of Qt optimized for embedded devices: 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qt_Extended

It could be a renowned Debian citizen if it would not embed it but just
package and provide the special QtE libraries and then just use the -dev
version for dpkg-building the launcher, dialer, etc. This is what Josua
is working on:

http://git.goldelico.com/?p=qtmoko2-qte.git;a=summary

> 
> ...but I am a bit puzzled here: I seem to recall you reminding me of 
> that (after Debian developer Paul Wise initially explained it to me, and 
> helped me install QtMoko on one of my GTA02 devices - which I didn't use 
> much because I wanted a *Debian* environment not a "bastard" like that).

Me too :)

BR,
Nikolaus