[Distutils] How to build Debian packages (answer)

[Greg Ward]

On 25 April 2000, Bastian Kleineidam said:
>   heres is the thing I do to build Debian packages:
>   

[reformatted for readability]
>   [Makefile snippet]
>   install: ./setup.py install --prefix=/tmp/usr --exec-prefix=/tmp/usr
>            cp -a /tmp/usr/* $(DESTIDR)/usr # install misc additional files 
>            install -c -m 755 linkchecker $(DESTDIR)/usr/bin ...
>   
>   Yes, its a hack, but it works.

Umm, I don't get it.  How does this generate a Debian package?
(Ie. what command spits out a .deb file that Joe Luser can download and
install trivially?)

(Disclaimer: I am completely ignorant about Debian packages.  I tried
Debian once, and was utterly stumped by the death-defyingly mysterious
"dpkg" interface.  Gave up after a few hours and fled back to friendly
old Red Hat with RPM's wonderful command-line interface.)

Oh, BTW: "If --exec-prefix is not supplied, it defaults to --prefix".
(An actual quote from the actual documentation!)

        Greg
-- 
Greg Ward - Linux nerd                                  gward@python.net
http://starship.python.net/~gward/
A day for firm decisions!!!!!  Or is it?