Re: Roxen 3 and MySQL packaging help

[Steve Greenland <steveg@moregruel.net>]

On 17-Feb-03, 03:32 (CST), Turbo Fredriksson <turbo@debian.org> wrote: 
> 
> So my solution is (currently) as follows:
>         1. Only 'Suggests' the mysql-server package, giving a note that it
>            is absolutly vital that there IS a MySQL server (somewhere).
>            - I don't want to FORCE (ie, '(pre-)Depends' on mysql-server)
>              because of the possibility to use an external (ie, not on
>              this host) MySQL server.
>            - If The Roxen Webserver is started, and it can't contact a
>              MySQL server, it will die with a notice about this in the
>              logs.

Right. This is basically the same as the X font problem -- there's
got to be fonts available somewhere, but it doesn't have to be on
this machine, therefore Debian package relationships can't enforce
this. Someone setting up a webserver can be presumed to have some
intelligence/knowledge.

All the rest of your items are based on the idea that you can and/or
need to hand-hold the admin. I think the error message and perhaps a
README.Debian with some alternatives are sufficient. Anything more
complicated will tend to break, and to irritate the users who have the
setup they want but you didn't think of. (Which is not to insult you --
there's lots of different ways to set up databases, and you won't think
of all of them.)

Steve
-- 
Steve Greenland
    The irony is that Bill Gates claims to be making a stable operating
    system and Linus Torvalds claims to be trying to take over the
    world.       -- seen on the net