Bug#1042478: #1042478 Tasks missing in tasksel and its task-description file

[Andreas Tille <tille@debian.org>]

Hi Holger,

at first I'd like to thank you for all your work.

I'd also like to stress that due to my other tasks I'm not regularly
reading this list - feel free to ping me more hardly than in simple list
replies.

Am Fri, Mar 07, 2025 at 11:04:35PM +0100 schrieb Holger Wansing:
> 
> d3vf4n@tutanota.com wrote at Sat, 29 Jul 2023:
> > Package: tasksel
> > Version: 3.73
> > 
> > There are tasksel tasks that
> >  1. The command "tasksel --list-tasks" does not list.
> >  2. They do not show either in the task description file "/usr/share/tasksel/descs/debian-tasks.desc"
> > 
> > Some examples are the tasks "science-tasks", "electronic-tasks", "education-tasks", and quite a few more:
> > https://packages.debian.org/search?suite=bookworm&section=all&arch=any&searchon=all&keywords=tasksel
> > https://packages.debian.org/search?suite=bookworm&section=all&arch=any&searchon=names&keywords=live-task-
> > 
> > Despite all this, tasksel can actually install them: for instance, "tasksel -t install science-tasks".
> 
> [ Adding debian-blends mailinglist to the loop ]
> 
> 
> The first packages.d.o link from above lists these packages (amongst others):
> 
> pan-tasks: PAN Blends tasks for tasksel
> 
> electronics-tasks: Debian Electronics tasks for tasksel
> 
> science-tasks: Debian Science tasks for tasksel
> 
> multimedia-tasks: Debian Multimedia tasks for tasksel
> 
> junior-tasks: Debian Jr. tasks for tasksel
> 
> games-tasks: Debian Games tasks for tasksel
> 
> debichem-tasks: DebiChem tasks for tasksel
> 
> gis-tasks: Debian GIS tasks for tasksel
> 
> med-tasks: Debian Med tasks for tasksel
> 
> education-tasks: Debian Edu tasks for tasksel
> 
> fbx-tasks: FreedomBox tasks for tasksel
> 
> astro-tasks: Debian Astronomy Pure Blend (tasksel tasks)
> 
> hamradio-tasks: Debian Hamradio Tasks
> 
> blends-tasks: Debian Pure Blends tasks for new installations

I think the last one does not really fit into that list.  All others
are providing tasksel support for the according blend
 
> These look to me as an early attempt, to allow blends installation from
> our debian-installer (via tasksel). Is this correct?

I do not think that the initial idea was debian-installer support.
However, it might be perfectly usalbe for this as well.
 
> Since there is a (new) working mechanism for this approach now (via 
> blendsel [1]), the above packages might be no longer needed?
> 
> Or are they still used?

I *personally* do not use these.  Unfortunately we can't really know
since we have no direct from our users.  Do you think these packages are
creating any harm if these are just available?
 
> In every case, this approach now might be irritating, since it is based
> on tasksel, while the new mechanism works via the new blendsel (so 
> completely independent from tasksel) ...

That's a valid point, thought,
 
> I was not aware of these packages, when I developed blendsel, BTW.

Do you have any suggestion what should be changed?

Kind regards
    Andreas.

> [1] https://lists.debian.org/debian-blends/2025/01/msg00000.html

-- 
https://fam-tille.de