Bug#681419: Alternative dependencies on non-free packages in main

[Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org>]

Package: tech-ctte
Severity: normal

As a Debian Policy delegate, I'm delegating to the Technical Committee
the resolution of bugs #587279 and #616462.

The current Policy wording is:

    In addition, the packages in main

     * must not require or recommend a package outside of main
       for compilation or execution (thus, the package must not declare
       a "Pre-Depends", "Depends", "Recommends", "Build-Depends", or
       "Build-Depends-Indep" relationship on a non-main package),

The question at issue in these bugs is whether it is permissible for
a package in main to declare a non-default alternative dependency on
a package in non-free.  In other words, may a package in main have a
dependency of:

    Depends: foo | foo-nonfree

(I believe that the question of whether "foo-nonfree | foo" should be
allowed is not at issue and that the consensus is that it's not
permitted.  However, the Technical Committee can certainly open that
discussion if desired.)

Please see the bugs cited above for the complete earlier discussion.
(Note that the end of #587279 has some off-topic discussion of the
exact meaning of "require or recommend a package" that's not at issue
in this bug.  I don't think the requested bug about that issue was
ever filed, so I'm inclined to not consider it an issue currently.)