Re: dpkg and dependencies

[Guy Maor <maor@ece.utexas.edu>]

> S> "Suggests:
> S> This is used to declare that one package may be more useful with one
> S> or more others.  Using this field tells the packaging system and the
> S> user that the listed packages are be [sic] related to this one and can
> S> perhaps enhance its usefulness, but that installing this one without
> S> them is perfectly reasonable."

I use the word dependency in the general sense - to refer to Depends,
Recommends, Suggests, and Pre-Depends.

The crux of your disagreement is how you define dependencies between
packages.

Susan argues that a package is composed of individual files.  A
package's dependency is the least restrictive dependency which fulfills
all the files' dependencies.

Ian argues that a package is composed of files of varying degrees of
importance.  A package's dependency is the dependency which fulfills
the more important files' dependencies.  The secondary files'
dependencies may be mentioned as Suggestions or Recommendations based
on their relative importance.

The more important files are those which provide the package's
functionality to a majority of users.  Unfortunately this distinction
is somewhat arbitrary.

I agree with Ian's definition.  The alternative is unpleasant - a
multitude of tiny packages.  Perhaps a paragraph explaining the
relationship between file dependencies and package dependencies could
be added to the Programmer's Documentation.


Guy