[Fedora-packaging] make install INSTALL="install -p" to guidelines

[Ralf Corsepius]

On 07/19/2009 01:15 PM, Christoph Wickert wrote:
> Am Dienstag, den 14.07.2009, 05:04 +0200 schrieb Ralf Corsepius:
>> Jussi Lehtola wrote:
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> could somebody add a mention of adding INSTALL="install -p" to argument
>>> of 'make install' as a fix of preserving the time stamp during install
>>> to the packaging guidelines?
>>>
>>> http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Packaging/Guidelines#Timestamps
>>>
>>> This really should be in the spec file templates as well, since it's
>>> such a common packaging bug (and shouldn't break anything either).
>>
>> Well, you are a new-comer to packaging, aren't you?
>>
>> Otherwise you'd likely know that "install -p" is highly controversal,
>> because it doesn't guarantee consistency of timestamps and is mostly
>> "eye-candy".
>
> I consider myself an old stager, nevertheless I hear this for the first
> time. Can you please tell me where this was discussed in the past? I
> couldn't find anything on fedora-devel or fedora-packaging.
Ohh, it has been discussed numerous times, so many times I don't have 
any particular reference to one of these.

The points behind these discussions are:
* People believe in "timestamps" matter for rpm.
rpm doesn't and must not care about timestamps, otherwise share files 
between packages doesn't work.

All "install -p" does in such situations is using different timestamps 
than when not using "install -p"

- Many packages don't use "INSTALL" (automake generated Makefiles do)

- Using INSTALL="install -p" basically is eye-candy, assuring timestamps 
on "non-generated installed files" match with those inside of the 
sources. On generated files (generated scripts, headers, compiled 
binaries/libraries ...) it doesn't have any impact.
All "install -p" does in such situations is using different timestamps 
than when not using "install -p"

- Many packages don't use "INSTALL" (automake generated Makefiles do), 
some use "INSTALL" in a completely different meaning.

> I think you tend to describe your POV as the only valid one - even on
> controversial topics.

Well, I don't do so. I am saying "INSTALL=install -p" is stylishness and 
functionally mostly meaningless.

Ralf