1: Packaging bsd-games and bsd-games-non-free
    2: ==========================================
    3: 
    4: This file contains some information intended for those packaging
    5: bsd-games or bsd-games-non-free for a Linux distribution.  It is
    6: presumed that you have read INSTALL first, and that you have the
    7: competence in the POSIX shell required to read and understand the
    8: configure script.  This information may also be useful to people
    9: building their own systems, who wish to rebuild the whole system
   10: automatically or who use a packaging system for locally built
   11: software.
   12: 
   13: The configuration and build of bsd-games has two features designed to
   14: facilitate packaging:
   15: 
   16: 1) Installation prefix.
   17: 
   18: The configure script allows you to choose an installation prefix (by
   19: default empty) that is prepended to all paths used for installation,
   20: but not those built into the executables (this is similar to the
   21: install_root of glibc, and DESTDIR in some packages, but is chosen at
   22: configure time).  The package would then be built in some way from
   23: this directory, and the contents would end up in the root of the
   24: target system.  If used, this prefix must be an absolute path.
   25: 
   26: 2) config.params to change configuration defaults.
   27: 
   28: Although the configuration script is by default interactive (although
   29: it does not need a terminal), it can also be used non-interactively.
   30: If a file "config.params" exists in the source directory, it will be
   31: sourced by the configure script.  If this file (which can be an
   32: arbitrary shell script) sets "bsd_games_cfg_non_interactive" to "y",
   33: then the default answers to all questions will be taken without
   34: interaction.  If this sets "bsd_games_cfg_FOO" to "BAR" then the
   35: default value for configuration parameter "FOO" will become "BAR"
   36: instead of whatever default the script would otherwise give.  You can
   37: find the names and meanings of the configuration parameters by reading
   38: the configure script; they are not otherwise documented.
   39: 
   40: Issues for packagers
   41: ====================
   42: 
   43: Please read the security warnings in SECURITY.  There is a potential
   44: trade-off between security and functionality present, and you may wish
   45: to choose a potentially more secure default and allow the sysadmin to
   46: change permissions if they are in an environment (for example, a home
   47: system with only trusted users) where the functionality is preferred,
   48: while ensuring such changes persist across upgrades.  Some packagers
   49: may wish to provide a security-hardened system by giving each setgid
   50: game its own group so bugs in one do not affect others.
   51: 
   52: You may wish to include auxiliary documentation for users, such as the
   53: AUTHORS and THANKS files and the year 2000 statement YEAR2000.
   54: 
   55: Assuming you distribute source for your package (I do not believe any
   56: of the games have licences requiring this), and separate your patches
   57: from the original source .tar.gz files (whether in separate files or
   58: in a single file source package including them as separable
   59: components), arranging the building of the source so that your patches
   60: add a "config.params" as described above, and do any other necessary
   61: changes to "configure" or other source files, and so that the build
   62: process runs configure non-interactively and then builds the package,
   63: makes it easier for readers to see how you have packaged it than
   64: running configure interactively and including the generated files in
   65: your patch.
   66: 
   67: Since bsd-games no longer comes with its own words file, you may wish
   68: to ensure that the same dictionaries are used in the build of boggle
   69: regardless of the local configuration of the dictionaries installed on
   70: the computer used for the build.  (The list used by hangman can also
   71: be specified by the user at run time; future versions may provide for
   72: this to be done with boggle as well; see TODO.)
   73: 
   74: Andries Brouwer has noted more than once on linux-kernel (and
   75: elsewhere) that some packagers (for various software and documentation
   76: used under Linux):
   77: 
   78: (a) Do not send their patches to upstream maintainers, so that
   79: improvements and bug fixes stay in some distributions, which may need
   80: to discover them independently, and do not come to benefit other
   81: users.
   82: 
   83: (b) Keep applying their same patches to new versions of the source as
   84: long as they apply without error, even though they may no longer be
   85: needed or even be harmful.
   86: 
   87: If you have patches that are needed for the package to build or to fix
   88: bugs (in a supported environment, not with old versions of libraries
   89: and tools) or that provide enhancements other than conforming to
   90: distribution-specific policy, please send them to me (unidiffs
   91: preferred; see notes on bug reporting and sending patches at the end
   92: of README).  Do not assume that old patches should be applied to new
   93: versions; check that the problem they are supposed to fix is still
   94: present first.
   95: 
   96: Warnings
   97: ========
   98: 
   99: If distributing bsd-games, it is your responsibility to check that the
  100: licences on the games you distribute permit what you wish to do with
  101: them, and that you are providing accurate information on the licences
  102: to your users.  Likewise it is your responsibility to carry out
  103: whatever audits you deem necessary on the code, and to include such
  104: warnings or information (about security and otherwise) for the end
  105: user as you see fit.  Please read the disclaimers in the individual
  106: source files.
  107: 
  108: Some of the games may contain material, actions or language that in
  109: some jurisdictions may be prohibited or considered unsuitable for
  110: minors; this includes but is not limited to the offensive fortunes.
  111: It is your responsibility to determine and apply any restriction on
  112: your distribution of the games that may be necessary in consequence.
  113: 
  114: This package contains cryptographic software (caesar and rot13).  See
  115: the warnings in README about this.
  116: 
  117: Notification of new versions
  118: ============================
  119: 
  120: If you want to receive notification of new versions by email, but do
  121: not currently receive this notification, please let me know.
  122: 
  123: A note on terminology and credit
  124: ================================
  125: 
  126: I am not the "upstream author" of the games packaged here; for an
  127: incomplete list of the authors see AUTHORS, but do not give me this
  128: credit I do not deserve at the expense of the true authors.  Rather I
  129: am the "upstream maintainer" of the bsd-games and bsd-games-non-free
  130: packages (upstream relative to distributions), and upstream of me is
  131: NetBSD, who also are maintainers of the games, but not for the most
  132: part authors.  Nor am I the creator of the bsd-games package, although
  133: much the current form of the packaging and many of the porting changes
  134: are mine: the package was created by Curt Olson and Andy Tefft, and
  135: passed to me after it had been idle and unmaintained for some years.
  136: Any system that provides fields for recording this sort of information
  137: should distinguish these concepts, and the different fields should be
  138: filled in correctly.  Please consider where credit is due and credit
  139: the authors of the games accordingly: if you find the names of authors
  140: where not known and listed in AUTHORS, or up-to-date contact details
  141: for authors listed there, please send me the details so they can
  142: receive their due credit in future versions, and thanks from any
  143: appreciative users.
  144: 
  145: 
  146: ^L
  147: Local Variables:
  148: mode: text
  149: End: