Dependencies alert
I'm having a problem with packages that depend on things they
shouldn't. If only a minor component of the package needs some
other package, the Policy Manual says it should recommend the
other package, and not Depend.
For example, I recently filed a bug against python-pil because
it depends on python-tk and it should only recommend it.
python-pil is an image handling library. It can load and
manipulate images. I'm using it in a completely no-X project
being developed in a no-X machine.
But python-pil has as one of its optional components an
interface to Tk, to draw images on a window. My program doesn't
use it, so I don't need python-tk, tk, and xlib.
Now the upstream developers have made this a non-issue, because
the shared library that implements the function is linked to Tk.
It's a mistake, IMHO, but not on the part of the Debian
maintainer.
But the point holds: think twice about your dependencies. If,
for example, your package is a daemon and includes a nice GTK
front-end, it should _NOT_ depend on gtk - either recommend it,
or split the front-end into some other package (this example is
taken from pilrc).
Sorry to use this list, but I think this is getting serious.
We're bloating Debian.
[]s,
|alo
+----
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I am Lalo of deB-org. You will be freed.
Resistance is futile.
http://www.webcom.com/lalo mailto:lalo@webcom.com
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