[Discuss] all Debian package source files browsable online

[tmetro+blu at gmail.com (Tom Metro)]

In a move that is sure to please the FSF, Debian's release notice for
Debian 8 "Jessie" also notes that the full source code can be browsed
online:

  "...a browsable view of all source code shipped in Debian [3]
  currently available at sources.debian.net [4]. Of course, with over
  20,000 source packages, it can be quite daunting to locate the right
  file. Therefore, we are also very pleased to present Debian Code
  Search [5], available at codesearch.debian.net [6]. Both services are
  complemented by a completely rewritten and more reponsive package
  tracking system [7]."

    3: https://www.debian.org/News/weekly/2013/14/#sources
    4: https://sources.debian.net
    5: https://www.debian.org/News/weekly/2014/17/#DCS
    6: https://codesearch.debian.net/
    7: https://tracker.debian.org/

While you could always apt-get the source package, it was often more
convenient to try and find a source file online, if all you wanted to do
was look up where some error message appeared in the source to get a
better understanding of what triggers it or the like. Tracking down
source files that are browsable online was often a pain, and then you
wouldn't know whether the version you found really corresponded to the
version installed on your system.

It would be great to see other distros replicate this. (Or leverage it,
if Debian derived.)

 -Tom

-- 
Tom Metro
The Perl Shop, Newton, MA, USA
"Predictable On-demand Perl Consulting."
http://www.theperlshop.com/