On Wed, Mar 01, 2006 at 10:15:04PM -0500, Raul Miller wrote: > On 3/1/06, Steve Langasek <vorlon@debian.org> wrote: > > The lack of declared dependencies in ndiswrapper isn't a result of trying > > to do an end-run around policy, it's a result of the fact that ndiswrapper > > does not *have* a dependency on windows drivers in the sense that can > > reasonably be represented in the Depends: field -- just as any given library > > is of limited use on its own, yet it doesn't have an ORed dependency list on > > all the packages (+ unpackaged software) that can use it. > Correct. > I was not disputing the headers of the ndiswrapper package. I was > disputing the assertion that we can't assume anything about how > the software is used. My assertion was that we must assume things > about how the software is used in order to populate the Depends: > header. Ok, fair enough. > With that in mind, policy on contrib says that contrib is for > "wrapper packages or other sorts of free accessories for non-free programs." > http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-contrib > And I think ndiswrapper is "a sort of free accessory for non-free programs." Ok. Would you say the same thing about a free library that implements an API/ABI which is primarily of interest to users of pre-existing non-free software? If not, why is one an "accessory" and the other not? > > Given that this is how we understand "dependency" every other time we use it > > in the project, I think it would be inconsistent to say that ndiswrapper has > > a "dependency" on an indeterminate but large number of distinct Windows > > drivers. > Ok, we should probably find a different word to describe this > relationship. > Perhaps it could be phrased that ndiswrapper has a need for the presence > of some software which is not available in debian main. If we didn't ship any free software built around the Motif API, would this mean lesstif had a "need for the presence of some software which is not available in Debian main"? -- Steve Langasek Give me a lever long enough and a Free OS Debian Developer to set it on, and I can move the world. vorlon@debian.org http://www.debian.org/
Attachment:
signature.asc
Description: Digital signature