SYNOPSIS

From the command line:

> debian-perl build
> debian-perl release

From a Perl module directory:

> Perl Makefile.PL
> make debian
> make release

DESCRIPTION

If you are a Perl module author, you probably know quite a bit about Perl, modules and CPAN. You probably know about Debian Linux. There's even a decent chance you've used it. However, there's only a very slim chance that you maintain Debian packages for your modules.

Let's assume that this at least vaguely describes you. If someone told you that you could flip a switch, and then every time you released a module to CPAN, it went to Debian (perfectly packaged to their standards), you'd probably flip that switch.

This module aspires to be that switch. It wants you to be a Debian Maintainer for free. You may end up becoming a full fledged Debian guru one day, but for now you just want to see your code available to a whole new world, without having to know the details. As long as this switch doesn't tell you otherwise, you know that you did the all right things.

This module is just a helping hand that automates all the standard best practices for you. It bends over backwards to help you get that module to Debian without having to know any more than is expected of a busy Perl module author, like you.

Specifically it uses things like dh-make-perl, debuild, pbuilder and lintian. If you've never heard of these things, that's ok. Until this week, neither did I. They all do a lot of work, and they aren't that hard to use, but the learning curve is quite high. As soon as Debian::Perl is stable and shipping all my CPAN modules to Debian, I plan to forget about them as quickly as possible. :)

USAGE

There are two ways to use this module. There is a command called debian-perl that you can use to prepare, build, test and release Debian packages from your Perl module. There is also a Module::Install plugin that allows you to simply do:

> make debian

See Module::Install::Debian::Perl

MORE DOCUMENTATION

Coming soon...

STATUS

This module is brand new and in heavy development. Nothing to see here. Move along.

KUDOS

Many thanks to the great folks at Strategic Data for supporting the creation of this module.

Extra special thanks to Andrew Pam, the resident Debian guru at Strategic Data, for providing all the right pointers.

Also a nod to Jeremiah Foster whose article in The Perl Review from the Spring 2009 issue, not only pointed me in the right directions, but also convinced me that the process was still not quite consumable by the masses. I look forward to working with you and the debian-perl team.