What is a base package?

[Ian Jackson <ian@chiark.greenend.org.uk>]

Guy Maor:
> Actually, I'd like to have a more formal definition of what a base
> package is.  It's obviously not simply what's on the base disks as
> netbase, netstd, dpkg-ftp are on the disks and in the net directory.
> 
> Maybe it should be exactly those packages that have required priority?
> That seems to make more sense.  Opinions anyone?

I disagree.  Then the directory should be called `essential'.

The base section is _supposed_ to be just the packages on the
basedisks.  This allows (for example) you not to download them if you
don't feel like upgrading them at the start of a fresh install.

netbase and netstd are not properly on the basedisks.  The problem is
that they (like Perl) are not split into parts that need to be on the
basedisks and parts that don't, so only parts of them are there.

dpkg-ftp ought perhaps to be in base.

Ian.

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