Bug#3068: gzip package must not include compress link

["Brian C. White" <bcwhite@verisim.com>]

> B> I disagree with that.  I, for one, will probably never install the
> B> "compress" package and yet I want to be able to "uncompress"
> B> things.  Since gzip can uncompress ".Z" files just fine, I'd say
> B> that it is the "compress" package that should _not_ be making the
> B> link.
>
> Isn't this sort of thing just what dpkg's update-alternatives is for?

I suppose that could be used, but I don't really see the point.  If both
packages exhibit identical behavior in this case and since gzip is
"essential", why not just use it all the time for 'uncompress'?

As I understand it, the alternatives are for pointing a common name to
one of several packages that provide that (eg. wish->wish4.0/wish4.1
or vi->nvi/vim).  While both alternatives in those examples are similar,
they are not identical as is the case with gzip/compress in regard to
"uncompress".

                                        Brian
                               ( bcwhite@verisim.com )

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