Bug#681783: Are Recommends really important (especially for metapackages)?
Andrei POPESCU writes ("Bug#681783: Are Recommends really important (especially for metapackages)?"):
> Package: tech-ctte
These questions seems rather abstract to me. I would rather deal with
them iff they turn out to be relevant to an actual specific package or
package(s). Are you referring to the discussion surrounding
gnome-core and network-manager ?
If you would like the TC to make a ruling on that specific question
then I'm sure we'd be happy to do so.
> Following the big sub-thread "Recommends for metapackages" on
> debian-devel[1] I would like to submit following questions to you as per
> Debian Constitution 6.1, item 5 ("Offer advice"). Examples below are not
> meant to request specific decision(s) from your side or even to point
> fingers at any one package Maintainer (DD or not), but to better explain
> what I think is a more general problem that you could address.
I don't think it would be a good idea for the TC to formally offer
such abstract advice, at least in this case. The result would seem to
be likely to be arguments over the interpretation of our advice.
But I'm happy to give my personal opinion:
> 1. Is running a system with Recommends turned off a supported
> configuration?
I would say that "yes it is supported" but that violating a Recommends
may result in unexpected or less favourable behaviour.
Ie, I think a maintainer is at liberty to close bug reports resulting
from violated Recommends with "don't do that then", providing that the
failure mode is reasonable.
> 2. Are Depends appropriate for metapackages?
Yes.
Ian.
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