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diff --git a/doc/guix.texi b/doc/guix.texi index 547ab8db8c..ef23701066 100644 --- a/doc/guix.texi +++ b/doc/guix.texi @@ -126,7 +126,6 @@ Project}. * Installing Debugging Files:: Feeding the debugger. * Security Updates:: Deploying security fixes quickly. * Package Modules:: Packages from the programmer's viewpoint. -* Packaging Guidelines:: Growing the distribution. * Bootstrapping:: GNU/Linux built from scratch. * Porting:: Targeting another platform or kernel. * Contributing:: Your help needed! @@ -282,17 +281,6 @@ Defining Services * Service Reference:: API reference. * Shepherd Services:: A particular type of service. -Packaging Guidelines - -* Software Freedom:: What may go into the distribution. -* Package Naming:: What's in a name? -* Version Numbers:: When the name is not enough. -* Synopses and Descriptions:: Helping users find the right package. -* Python Modules:: A touch of British comedy. -* Perl Modules:: Little pearls. -* Java Packages:: Coffee break. -* Fonts:: Fond of fonts. - @end detailmenu @end menu @@ -24180,456 +24168,6 @@ distribution. The root of this dependency graph is a small set of bootstrap)} module. For more information on bootstrapping, @pxref{Bootstrapping}. -@node Packaging Guidelines -@chapter Packaging Guidelines - -@cindex packages, creating -The GNU distribution is nascent and may well lack some of your favorite -packages. This section describes how you can help make the distribution -grow. @xref{Contributing}, for additional information on how you can -help. - -Free software packages are usually distributed in the form of -@dfn{source code tarballs}---typically @file{tar.gz} files that contain -all the source files. Adding a package to the distribution means -essentially two things: adding a @dfn{recipe} that describes how to -build the package, including a list of other packages required to build -it, and adding @dfn{package metadata} along with that recipe, such as a -description and licensing information. - -In Guix all this information is embodied in @dfn{package definitions}. -Package definitions provide a high-level view of the package. They are -written using the syntax of the Scheme programming language; in fact, -for each package we define a variable bound to the package definition, -and export that variable from a module (@pxref{Package Modules}). -However, in-depth Scheme knowledge is @emph{not} a prerequisite for -creating packages. For more information on package definitions, -@pxref{Defining Packages}. - -Once a package definition is in place, stored in a file in the Guix -source tree, it can be tested using the @command{guix build} command -(@pxref{Invoking guix build}). For example, assuming the new package is -called @code{gnew}, you may run this command from the Guix build tree -(@pxref{Running Guix Before It Is Installed}): - -@example -./pre-inst-env guix build gnew --keep-failed -@end example - -Using @code{--keep-failed} makes it easier to debug build failures since -it provides access to the failed build tree. Another useful -command-line option when debugging is @code{--log-file}, to access the -build log. - -If the package is unknown to the @command{guix} command, it may be that -the source file contains a syntax error, or lacks a @code{define-public} -clause to export the package variable. To figure it out, you may load -the module from Guile to get more information about the actual error: - -@example -./pre-inst-env guile -c '(use-modules (gnu packages gnew))' -@end example - -Once your package builds correctly, please send us a patch -(@pxref{Contributing}). Well, if you need help, we will be happy to -help you too. Once the patch is committed in the Guix repository, the -new package automatically gets built on the supported platforms by -@url{http://hydra.gnu.org/jobset/gnu/master, our continuous integration -system}. - -@cindex substituter -Users can obtain the new package definition simply by running -@command{guix pull} (@pxref{Invoking guix pull}). When -@code{@value{SUBSTITUTE-SERVER}} is done building the package, installing the -package automatically downloads binaries from there -(@pxref{Substitutes}). The only place where human intervention is -needed is to review and apply the patch. - - -@menu -* Software Freedom:: What may go into the distribution. -* Package Naming:: What's in a name? -* Version Numbers:: When the name is not enough. -* Synopses and Descriptions:: Helping users find the right package. -* Python Modules:: A touch of British comedy. -* Perl Modules:: Little pearls. -* Java Packages:: Coffee break. -* Fonts:: Fond of fonts. -@end menu - -@node Software Freedom -@section Software Freedom - -@c Adapted from http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/philosophy.html. -@cindex free software -The GNU operating system has been developed so that users can have -freedom in their computing. GNU is @dfn{free software}, meaning that -users have the @url{http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html,four -essential freedoms}: to run the program, to study and change the program -in source code form, to redistribute exact copies, and to distribute -modified versions. Packages found in the GNU distribution provide only -software that conveys these four freedoms. - -In addition, the GNU distribution follow the -@url{http://www.gnu.org/distros/free-system-distribution-guidelines.html,free -software distribution guidelines}. Among other things, these guidelines -reject non-free firmware, recommendations of non-free software, and -discuss ways to deal with trademarks and patents. - -Some otherwise free upstream package sources contain a small and optional -subset that violates the above guidelines, for instance because this subset -is itself non-free code. When that happens, the offending items are removed -with appropriate patches or code snippets in the @code{origin} form of the -package (@pxref{Defining Packages}). This way, @code{guix -build --source} returns the ``freed'' source rather than the unmodified -upstream source. - - -@node Package Naming -@section Package Naming - -@cindex package name -A package has actually two names associated with it: -First, there is the name of the @emph{Scheme variable}, the one following -@code{define-public}. By this name, the package can be made known in the -Scheme code, for instance as input to another package. Second, there is -the string in the @code{name} field of a package definition. This name -is used by package management commands such as -@command{guix package} and @command{guix build}. - -Both are usually the same and correspond to the lowercase conversion of -the project name chosen upstream, with underscores replaced with -hyphens. For instance, GNUnet is available as @code{gnunet}, and -SDL_net as @code{sdl-net}. - -We do not add @code{lib} prefixes for library packages, unless these are -already part of the official project name. But @pxref{Python -Modules} and @ref{Perl Modules} for special rules concerning modules for -the Python and Perl languages. - -Font package names are handled differently, @pxref{Fonts}. - - -@node Version Numbers -@section Version Numbers - -@cindex package version -We usually package only the latest version of a given free software -project. But sometimes, for instance for incompatible library versions, -two (or more) versions of the same package are needed. These require -different Scheme variable names. We use the name as defined -in @ref{Package Naming} -for the most recent version; previous versions use the same name, suffixed -by @code{-} and the smallest prefix of the version number that may -distinguish the two versions. - -The name inside the package definition is the same for all versions of a -package and does not contain any version number. - -For instance, the versions 2.24.20 and 3.9.12 of GTK+ may be packaged as follows: - -@example -(define-public gtk+ - (package - (name "gtk+") - (version "3.9.12") - ...)) -(define-public gtk+-2 - (package - (name "gtk+") - (version "2.24.20") - ...)) -@end example -If we also wanted GTK+ 3.8.2, this would be packaged as -@example -(define-public gtk+-3.8 - (package - (name "gtk+") - (version "3.8.2") - ...)) -@end example - -@c See <https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/guix-devel/2016-01/msg00425.html>, -@c for a discussion of what follows. -@cindex version number, for VCS snapshots -Occasionally, we package snapshots of upstream's version control system -(VCS) instead of formal releases. This should remain exceptional, -because it is up to upstream developers to clarify what the stable -release is. Yet, it is sometimes necessary. So, what should we put in -the @code{version} field? - -Clearly, we need to make the commit identifier of the VCS snapshot -visible in the version string, but we also need to make sure that the -version string is monotonically increasing so that @command{guix package ---upgrade} can determine which version is newer. Since commit -identifiers, notably with Git, are not monotonically increasing, we add -a revision number that we increase each time we upgrade to a newer -snapshot. The resulting version string looks like this: - -@example -2.0.11-3.cabba9e - ^ ^ ^ - | | `-- upstream commit ID - | | - | `--- Guix package revision - | -latest upstream version -@end example - -It is a good idea to strip commit identifiers in the @code{version} -field to, say, 7 digits. It avoids an aesthetic annoyance (assuming -aesthetics have a role to play here) as well as problems related to OS -limits such as the maximum shebang length (127 bytes for the Linux -kernel.) It is best to use the full commit identifiers in -@code{origin}s, though, to avoid ambiguities. A typical package -definition may look like this: - -@example -(define my-package - (let ((commit "c3f29bc928d5900971f65965feaae59e1272a3f7") - (revision "1")) ;Guix package revision - (package - (version (git-version "0.9" revision commit)) - (source (origin - (method git-fetch) - (uri (git-reference - (url "git://example.org/my-package.git") - (commit commit))) - (sha256 (base32 "1mbikn@dots{}")) - (file-name (git-file-name name version)))) - ;; @dots{} - ))) -@end example - -@node Synopses and Descriptions -@section Synopses and Descriptions - -@cindex package description -@cindex package synopsis -As we have seen before, each package in GNU@tie{}Guix includes a -synopsis and a description (@pxref{Defining Packages}). Synopses and -descriptions are important: They are what @command{guix package ---search} searches, and a crucial piece of information to help users -determine whether a given package suits their needs. Consequently, -packagers should pay attention to what goes into them. - -Synopses must start with a capital letter and must not end with a -period. They must not start with ``a'' or ``the'', which usually does -not bring anything; for instance, prefer ``File-frobbing tool'' over ``A -tool that frobs files''. The synopsis should say what the package -is---e.g., ``Core GNU utilities (file, text, shell)''---or what it is -used for---e.g., the synopsis for GNU@tie{}grep is ``Print lines -matching a pattern''. - -Keep in mind that the synopsis must be meaningful for a very wide -audience. For example, ``Manipulate alignments in the SAM format'' -might make sense for a seasoned bioinformatics researcher, but might be -fairly unhelpful or even misleading to a non-specialized audience. It -is a good idea to come up with a synopsis that gives an idea of the -application domain of the package. In this example, this might give -something like ``Manipulate nucleotide sequence alignments'', which -hopefully gives the user a better idea of whether this is what they are -looking for. - -Descriptions should take between five and ten lines. Use full -sentences, and avoid using acronyms without first introducing them. -Please avoid marketing phrases such as ``world-leading'', -``industrial-strength'', and ``next-generation'', and avoid superlatives -like ``the most advanced''---they are not helpful to users looking for a -package and may even sound suspicious. Instead, try to be factual, -mentioning use cases and features. - -@cindex Texinfo markup, in package descriptions -Descriptions can include Texinfo markup, which is useful to introduce -ornaments such as @code{@@code} or @code{@@dfn}, bullet lists, or -hyperlinks (@pxref{Overview,,, texinfo, GNU Texinfo}). However you -should be careful when using some characters for example @samp{@@} and -curly braces which are the basic special characters in Texinfo -(@pxref{Special Characters,,, texinfo, GNU Texinfo}). User interfaces -such as @command{guix package --show} take care of rendering it -appropriately. - -Synopses and descriptions are translated by volunteers -@uref{http://translationproject.org/domain/guix-packages.html, at the -Translation Project} so that as many users as possible can read them in -their native language. User interfaces search them and display them in -the language specified by the current locale. - -To allow @command{xgettext} to extract them as translatable strings, -synopses and descriptions @emph{must be literal strings}. This means -that you cannot use @code{string-append} or @code{format} to construct -these strings: - -@lisp -(package - ;; @dots{} - (synopsis "This is translatable") - (description (string-append "This is " "*not*" " translatable."))) -@end lisp - -Translation is a lot of work so, as a packager, please pay even more -attention to your synopses and descriptions as every change may entail -additional work for translators. In order to help them, it is possible -to make recommendations or instructions visible to them by inserting -special comments like this (@pxref{xgettext Invocation,,, gettext, GNU -Gettext}): - -@example -;; TRANSLATORS: "X11 resize-and-rotate" should not be translated. -(description "ARandR is designed to provide a simple visual front end -for the X11 resize-and-rotate (RandR) extension. @dots{}") -@end example - - -@node Python Modules -@section Python Modules - -@cindex python -We currently package Python 2 and Python 3, under the Scheme variable names -@code{python-2} and @code{python} as explained in @ref{Version Numbers}. -To avoid confusion and naming clashes with other programming languages, it -seems desirable that the name of a package for a Python module contains -the word @code{python}. - -Some modules are compatible with only one version of Python, others with both. -If the package Foo compiles only with Python 3, we name it -@code{python-foo}; if it compiles only with Python 2, we name it -@code{python2-foo}. If it is compatible with both versions, we create two -packages with the corresponding names. - -If a project already contains the word @code{python}, we drop this; -for instance, the module python-dateutil is packaged under the names -@code{python-dateutil} and @code{python2-dateutil}. If the project name -starts with @code{py} (e.g.@: @code{pytz}), we keep it and prefix it as -described above. - -@subsection Specifying Dependencies -@cindex inputs, for Python packages - -Dependency information for Python packages is usually available in the -package source tree, with varying degrees of accuracy: in the -@file{setup.py} file, in @file{requirements.txt}, or in @file{tox.ini}. - -Your mission, when writing a recipe for a Python package, is to map -these dependencies to the appropriate type of ``input'' (@pxref{package -Reference, inputs}). Although the @code{pypi} importer normally does a -good job (@pxref{Invoking guix import}), you may want to check the -following check list to determine which dependency goes where. - -@itemize - -@item -We currently package Python 2 with @code{setuptools} and @code{pip} -installed like Python 3.4 has per default. Thus you don't need to -specify either of these as an input. @command{guix lint} will warn you -if you do. - -@item -Python dependencies required at run time go into -@code{propagated-inputs}. They are typically defined with the -@code{install_requires} keyword in @file{setup.py}, or in the -@file{requirements.txt} file. - -@item -Python packages required only at build time---e.g., those listed with -the @code{setup_requires} keyword in @file{setup.py}---or only for -testing---e.g., those in @code{tests_require}---go into -@code{native-inputs}. The rationale is that (1) they do not need to be -propagated because they are not needed at run time, and (2) in a -cross-compilation context, it's the ``native'' input that we'd want. - -Examples are the @code{pytest}, @code{mock}, and @code{nose} test -frameworks. Of course if any of these packages is also required at -run-time, it needs to go to @code{propagated-inputs}. - -@item -Anything that does not fall in the previous categories goes to -@code{inputs}, for example programs or C libraries required for building -Python packages containing C extensions. - -@item -If a Python package has optional dependencies (@code{extras_require}), -it is up to you to decide whether to add them or not, based on their -usefulness/overhead ratio (@pxref{Submitting Patches, @command{guix -size}}). - -@end itemize - - -@node Perl Modules -@section Perl Modules - -@cindex perl -Perl programs standing for themselves are named as any other package, -using the lowercase upstream name. -For Perl packages containing a single class, we use the lowercase class name, -replace all occurrences of @code{::} by dashes and prepend the prefix -@code{perl-}. -So the class @code{XML::Parser} becomes @code{perl-xml-parser}. -Modules containing several classes keep their lowercase upstream name and -are also prepended by @code{perl-}. Such modules tend to have the word -@code{perl} somewhere in their name, which gets dropped in favor of the -prefix. For instance, @code{libwww-perl} becomes @code{perl-libwww}. - - -@node Java Packages -@section Java Packages - -@cindex java -Java programs standing for themselves are named as any other package, -using the lowercase upstream name. - -To avoid confusion and naming clashes with other programming languages, -it is desirable that the name of a package for a Java package is -prefixed with @code{java-}. If a project already contains the word -@code{java}, we drop this; for instance, the package @code{ngsjava} is -packaged under the name @code{java-ngs}. - -For Java packages containing a single class or a small class hierarchy, -we use the lowercase class name, replace all occurrences of @code{.} by -dashes and prepend the prefix @code{java-}. So the class -@code{apache.commons.cli} becomes package -@code{java-apache-commons-cli}. - - -@node Fonts -@section Fonts - -@cindex fonts -For fonts that are in general not installed by a user for typesetting -purposes, or that are distributed as part of a larger software package, -we rely on the general packaging rules for software; for instance, this -applies to the fonts delivered as part of the X.Org system or fonts that -are part of TeX Live. - -To make it easier for a user to search for fonts, names for other packages -containing only fonts are constructed as follows, independently of the -upstream package name. - -The name of a package containing only one font family starts with -@code{font-}; it is followed by the foundry name and a dash @code{-} -if the foundry is known, and the font family name, in which spaces are -replaced by dashes (and as usual, all upper case letters are transformed -to lower case). -For example, the Gentium font family by SIL is packaged under the name -@code{font-sil-gentium}. - -For a package containing several font families, the name of the collection -is used in the place of the font family name. -For instance, the Liberation fonts consist of three families, -Liberation Sans, Liberation Serif and Liberation Mono. -These could be packaged separately under the names -@code{font-liberation-sans} and so on; but as they are distributed together -under a common name, we prefer to package them together as -@code{font-liberation}. - -In the case where several formats of the same font family or font collection -are packaged separately, a short form of the format, prepended by a dash, -is added to the package name. We use @code{-ttf} for TrueType fonts, -@code{-otf} for OpenType fonts and @code{-type1} for PostScript Type 1 -fonts. - - @node Bootstrapping @chapter Bootstrapping |