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5 # See COPYING file distributed along with the PyMVPA package for the
6 # copyright and license terms.
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13 **************************
14 Frequently Asked Questions
15 **************************
18 Why is NeuroDebian not a Pure Blend?
19 ------------------------------------
21 Because there is not need for it to become one, as the existing Debian Pure
22 Blends already offer the desired functionality *within* Debian. Similar to
23 Pure Blends, NeuroDebian's goal is to provide software for neuroscientists
24 using the Debian operating system, and therefore the ultimate goal is to get
25 all relevant software **into Debian**.
27 However, various reasons exist that prevent a particular software from
28 entering Debian. Some are temporary, i.e. a package is already useable, but
29 some technical bits do not meet Debian's standard yet or a licensing issue
30 needs to be resolved first. For some software the licensing is so restrictive
31 that it cannot be distributed by Debian, and hence cannot even go into its
32 *non-free* branch. Unfortunately, sometimes these issues cannot be solved to
33 a degree that is acceptable for Debian. For some other packages Debian itself
34 is not ready yet, e.g. huge data packages with neuroscience data (:ref:`with
35 sometimes over 1GB <pkg_fsl-first-data>`)
37 NeuroDebian aims to be a platform that provides a staging area for
38 neuroscience software packages on their way into Debian. All packages are
39 properly registered with the relevant `Debian Pure Blends`_, e.g.
40 `Debian-Science Cognitive Neuroscience`_ or `Debian-Med Imaging`_. Inside
41 Debian these efforts already provide a suitable framework for this purpose,
42 and hence there is now need to establish yet another one.
44 .. _Debian Pure Blends: http://wiki.debian.org/DebianPureBlends
45 .. _Debian-Science Cognitive Neuroscience: http://blends.alioth.debian.org/science/tasks/neuroscience-cognitive
46 .. _Debian-Med Imaging: http://debian-med.alioth.debian.org/tasks/imaging
49 When does a package migrate from NeuroDebian into Debian proper?
50 ----------------------------------------------------------------
52 In short: When it is ready. The longer answer is that there is nothing
53 special to packages in NeuroDebian in comparison to packages conducted
54 elsewhere. Packaging efforts are announced to Debian via ITPs_ and the
55 packaging itself is available in some version control system -- typically in
56 the Git repositories of the `pkg-exppsy group on Debian's Alioth server`_, or
57 another VCS, or on http://mentors.debian.net.
59 The only difference is that a particular package becomes available through the
60 NeuroDebian repository before it has passed all checks for compliance with
61 Debian's standards. But even after a package becomes part of Debian the
62 NeuroDebian repository continues to provide binary packages of new versions
63 for a certain set of Debian and Ubuntu releases (aka backports).
65 .. _ITPs: http://www.debian.org/devel/wnpp
66 .. _pkg-exppsy group on Debian's Alioth server: http://alioth.debian.org/projects/pkg-exppsy/
69 Debian, Debian, Debian -- What about Ubuntu?
70 --------------------------------------------
72 NeuroDebian offers backported binary package for recent Ubuntu releases
73 whenever possible. However, since Ubuntu is a rather thin shell around Debian
74 it is more efficient to spend time packaging for Debian. After the appearance
75 of new packages in Debian, Ubuntu typically synchronizes them quickly and
76 they become available in the *Ubuntu universe* -- a repository of Debian
77 packages rebuilt for a particular Ubuntu release.
80 How to create a mirror of the repository?
81 -----------------------------------------
83 The NeuroDebian repository can be mirrored with rsync If you are interested
84 in sponsoring storage space and bandwidth for another mirror, please contact
85 pkg-exppsy-maintainers@lists.alioth.debian.org.