From 17a624c99ba31e34ec6ada3aeaddb5d1183e3df1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org>
Date: Sat, 5 Jul 2008 16:32:24 -0700
Subject: [PATCH] Tighten changelog format requirements and remove alternate
 formats

Tighten several changelog format requirements to a must and remove
the provision for alternative changelog formats, since the latter
is not permitted in the Debian archive.

Closes: #489460
---
 policy.sgml | 41 ++++++-----------------------------------
 1 file changed, 6 insertions(+), 35 deletions(-)

diff --git a/policy.sgml b/policy.sgml
index 24c9072..bbd8c55 100644
--- a/policy.sgml
+++ b/policy.sgml
@@ -1472,10 +1472,6 @@
 	  </footnote>
 	</p>
 
-        <p>
-          
-        </p>
-
         <p>
           The format of the <file>debian/changelog</file> allows the
 	  package building tools to discover which version of the package
@@ -1566,17 +1562,17 @@
 	</p>
 
 	<p>
-	  The <var>date</var> should be in RFC822 format<footnote>
+	  The <var>date</var> must be in RFC822 format<footnote>
 	      This is generated by <tt>date -R</tt>.
-	  </footnote>; it should include the time zone specified
+	  </footnote>; it must include the time zone specified
 	  numerically, with the time zone name or abbreviation
 	  optionally present as a comment in parentheses.
 	</p>
 
 	<p>
-	  The first "title" line with the package name should start
-	  at the left hand margin; the "trailer" line with the
-	  maintainer and date details should be preceded by exactly
+	  The first "title" line with the package name must start
+	  at the left hand margin.  The "trailer" line with the
+	  maintainer and date details must be preceded by exactly
 	  one space.  The maintainer details and the date must be
 	  separated by exactly two spaces.
 	</p>
@@ -1585,33 +1581,8 @@
 	  For more information on placement of the changelog files
 	  within binary packages, please see <ref id="changelogs">.
 	</p>
-
-	<sect1><heading>Alternative changelog formats</heading>
-
-	  <p>
-	    In non-experimental packages you must use a format for
-	    <file>debian/changelog</file> which is supported by the most
-	    recent released version of <prgn>dpkg</prgn>.
-	  </p>
-
-	  <p>
-	    It is possible to use a format different from the standard
-	    one by providing a changelog parser for the format you wish
-	    to use. The parser must have an API compatible with that
-	    expected by <prgn>dpkg-genchanges</prgn> and
-	    <prgn>dpkg-gencontrol</prgn>, and it must not interact with
-	    the user at all.
-	    <footnote>
-	      If there is general interest in the new format, you should
-	      contact the <package>dpkg</package> maintainer to have the
-	      parser script for it included in the <prgn>dpkg</prgn>
-	      package.  (You will need to agree that the parser and its
-	      man page may be distributed under the GNU GPL, just as the rest
-	      of <prgn>dpkg</prgn> is.)
-	    </footnote>
-	  </p>
-	</sect1>
       </sect>
+
       <sect id="dpkgcopyright">
 	<heading>Copyright: <file>debian/copyright</file></heading>
         <p>
-- 
2.39.5