Re: [RFC] Reorganizing Linux packages

Johannes Schauer Marin Rodrigues <[email protected]> Sat, 31 Jan 2026 18:24:43 +0100

Newsgroups	gmane.linux.debian.devel.kernel,gmane.linux.debian.apt.devel
Message-ID	<176988028306.5110.14444712261724210874@localhost>

Hi,

Quoting Ben Hutchings (2025-09-08 22:11:40)
> On Sat, 2025-08-30 at 13:00 +0200, Bastian Blank wrote:
> > [Cc apt maintainers, as this interacts with the versioned package
> > support, reply-to kernel maintainers]
> > 
> > Hi
> > 
> > This is the plan to re-organize the Linux packages a bit, or maybe a
> > lot.
> > 
> > The goals are:
> > - Move packaged files out of `/boot`
> > - Replace extra cloud build with stripped down variant of the normal
> >   build
> > - Prepare for pre-built initramfs and/or UKI
> > - Remove hard dependency between headers and (bootable) image
> 
> I generally agree with these goals, but I would like to see how this is
> done.
> 
> [...]
> > ### Split modules out of `linux-image` package
> > 
> > Like the other distributions we should move all the modules into it's own
> > package, `linux-modules`.  We can then split this new package further in a
> > later change.
> 
> Let's not go too far with this.  Managing the current splitting of
> modules into udebs already takes significant time (and seems to be
> largely unnecessary).

a version with this split was uploaded to experimental 3 weeks ago and I just
got around testing it. After having spent the day with fixing the software in
and outside of Debian that I maintain which broke after the split of modules
and dtbs into other packages I wonder:

What is the motivation of the split other than "other distros do it"? The
changelog only says "Split kernel modules into own package" but doesn't give a
rationale. Is one written down somewhere?

Thanks!

cheers, josch

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