Packaging the gede debugger

Development
#1

For an introductory programming course I’m teaching at my university, I’ve been going through the available debugger guis for C/C++. ddd and nemiver are the only ones available through the standard apt repositories in Lubuntu Groovy. ddd is very nice but it looks pretty outdated and has some usability problems. nemiver is also good but it’s a GNOME application and I couldn’t get some of the interface to be readable with a dark theme. I’ve also tested gdbgui, gdbfrontend, and the eclipse cdt standalone debugger but I’ve found the gede debugger to be the most usable alternative and it happens to be a Qt application.

https://gede.dexar.se/

Would it make sense to include gede in Lubuntu?

#2

We don’t really consider programming tools to be something that we ship by default with Lubuntu. Not to say that there isn’t a value to this, but if we’re going to have a debugger for C/C++, then we need to for every other programming language known to man. And even if we were to keep it to a Qt/C++ focus, there’s an infinite number of tools one might want to add. It’s a slippery slope.

Developers are welcome to install their own tools and frankly, should be encouraged to, rather than having them handed to them. If you want to seriously take on crafting anything, you should have good tools and you should know how to use them. I personally believe that the effort involved in researching will help you develop a better understanding about those tools, ultimately making you more effective at using them.

That said, if you really want to get this in the Ubuntu archives, you have a few directions you can go in. Personally, I’d suggest to the developer that they start packaging in Debian. Debian gets synced in Ubuntu, so it will make its way to us if that happens. Then all of the Debian and Ubuntu derivative distros will all get it, too. That will mean a huge range of users that will be able to make use of their software with one fell swoop. Alternately, you could package it yourself either in Debian or Ubuntu. Or you could suggest to the developer a universal package like a Snap, Flatpak, or AppImage. Barring that, you could explore it yourself.

Or just compile it, which is easy enough, and obviously as a developer, you know how to do it! One of the things you could do is package it and put it in a PPA on Launchpad. This would mean no one has to bother with getting through the (albeit rather thin) bureaucracy to get the package in Debian or Ubuntu. Launchpad builders will take care of the compilation and hosting for you and as long as you update it (which can even be automated through source build receipes), everyone who has that PPA will get updates.

Hope that helps.

P.S. I love how gede also supports Go… and Ada… and Fortran! They should add C Flat support.

#3

I am the developer of Gede. Glad you liked the Ada and Fortran support. I added them and FreeBasic support after request from users.

I unfortunately do not have the time to maintain a debian/ubuntu package and nobody has stepped forward offering to help with maintaining a package.

There is a scripts in the source for creating a debian package if anybody wants a deb file to distribute.

1 Like
#4

Then it sounds like you should set up a source build recipe on Launchpad and it will take care of itself.

#5

I rather wait for it to be included in debian.

1 Like
#6

Ok, well I certainly have no interest in exerting the effort to get it in Debian and it’s likely unless you take the initiative, few others will.

#7

You may be right. I can live with the current situation.

1 Like
#8

Ditto.

That said, closing this.

#9