help for deciding among providers of virtual packages
Hi,
When a module depends on a virtual package, its configuration is delayed
until one of the providers is selected and installed. It would be very
good to have help text customized to the virtual package ("the following
options will do x y or z to your computer" rather than "choose one of
these"). But where will this text come from?
1 It must end up as a debconf template. Currently, the template is
always debian-installer/missing-provide. For customized help, this
should be changed to debian-installer/<depender>_dep_<virt.pkg.name>
or something like that.
2 It must be available before any of the virtual package providers is
unpacked.
3 It should not be in a module that shouldn't have to care which pkg
will satisfy its depends---it shouldn't be in the depending module.
4 If possible, there should not be a lot of them in the installation
image that will go unused.
2 and 3 mean that neither the virtual package providers nor the module
depending on the virtual package can supply the help.
No matter what we do, the help for all virtual package choices, up to
the point when we can install packages from an external source, must be
on the install media. I think that a collection of debconf templates
should go in a module on the install media. One module per language
maybe? That could save space if you know what language you're making a
floppy for, but I am not experienced with i18n tools, so I don't know
how easy this would be.
Any other ideas for where it should go/how it should end up there?
-thomas
--
Thomas "resc" Smith <tgs@finbar.dyndns.org>
web: http://finbar.dyndns.org/
gpg key id 1024D/ACABA81E, fingerprint:
3A47 CFA5 0E5D CF4A 5B22 12D3 FF1B 84FE ACAB A81E
Reply to: