Re: Cleaning out Lintian's "Experimental: yes" tags

Soren Stoutner <[email protected]> Mon, 05 Jan 2026 12:09:41 -0700

Newsgroups	gmane.linux.debian.devel.quality-assurance,gmane.linux.debian.devel.lint.devel
Organization	Debian
Message-ID	<8826129.T7Z3S40VBb@soren-desktop>

On Sunday, January 4, 2026 3:09:12 AM Mountain Standard Time Holger Levsen wrote:
> > * update-debian-copyright
> > 
> >  - last updated: 2022-12
> >  - 22,597 entries in UDD
> >  - This tag was highly controversial when it was implemented and I don't see
> >  its usefulness.:
> :) I'd move it to pedantic.

This tag has been useful to me more than once.

> > * spelling-error-in-binary
> > 
> >  - last updated: 2019-03
> >  - 336,571 entries in UDD
> >  - As many pointed out, this tag frequently has false positives and even
> >  when the issue is valid, it's often hard to fix them upstream.
> same.

I find this tag to be very useful.  It has improved quite a number of my packages.

> > * systemd-service-file-missing-hardening-features
> > 
> >  - last updated: 2018-12
> >  - 6,458 entries in UDD
> >  - This check only looks if the systemd service file includes at least 1
> >  feature in a long list of "hardening" features. IMO, this is an overly
> >  simplistic solution to a very hard problem.
> agreed.

I think this is useful because otherwise I would never have known that some of my 
packages are missing hardening features.

> > * debian-watch-does-not-check-openpgp-signature
> > 
> >  - last updated: 2018-12
> >  - 35,725 entries in UDD
> >  - This tag was changed to Experimental because it was not really actionable
> >  (#916207). I feel this is outside of the scope of what a lintian tag
> >  should recommend.
> I disagree.

This tag recently prompted me to utilize an upstream signature in a package I adopted.

> > * very-long-line-length-in-source-file
> 
> this one I think should/can go :)

I find this to be a very useful tag, especially in identifying minified JavaScript files that slip 
into my packages.  I would be very sad to see this go.

> > * source-is-missing
> 
> should definitly stay.

I agree.  This has also been a very useful tag for me.


-- 
Soren Stoutner
[email protected]

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