Re: package splits
On Sun, Dec 20, 1998 at 08:59:08PM -0700, Bob Nielsen wrote:
> As a user, I would recommend that developers use 'recommends' very
> sparingly.
>
> The problem with 'recommends' is that if you use dselect and don't install
> one of the recommended package, you get reminded each time you run
> dselect and have to use 'q' to escape the dependency resolution
> screen.
In the case of tetex-bin which Recommends: tetex-extra and should not, I
have filed a bug report asking the maintiner to fix it. Uploads have
been made since, but the only thing I got for a reply was along the lines
of "I don't see the problem here".. It hasn't been fixed and it's my
belief the maintainer has no plans to fix it either.
Without going through the technical committee and asking them to ask the
maintainer to fix it or otherwise intervene, I do not see this as likely
to change in the near future.
> I'd like to see the treatment of 'recommends' be changed so that when
> selecting a package brings up the dependency resolution screen, a package
> in the 'recommends' category would be marked install (and 'suggest' would
> be mentioned, but not selected for install), but if the user unmarked it,
> dselect would accept this and not ask (or require using 'q') each time
> dselect was run.
Enough people act as if this were the case now. No, Recommends: is for
packages that you should not install one without the other usually.
--
NO ONE expects the Spanish Inquisition!
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