The ser-0.8.10 sources contain a debian sub-directory for building debian packages. However the control file in this directory lists incomplete and improper build dependancies for the package.
Currently the dependancies are listed as:
Build-Depends: debhelper (>> 3.0.0), libmysqlclient-dev, libexpat1-dev, fakeroot
While they should be:
Build-Depends: debhelper (>> 3.0.0), libmysqlclient-dev, libexpat1-dev, zlib1g-dev
Fakeroot is not a necessary package for building the Debian ser package. It simply makes it easier to build the package as a non-root user.