Re: Default MTA and dependencies

[Bdale Garbee <bdale@gag.com>]

noel@koethe.net (Noel Koethe) writes:

> On Fre, 02 Nov 2001, Samuel Tardieu wrote:
> 
> lintian produces a warning when you just use a virtual-package:

Personally, I think lintian shouldn't consider this something it needs to
warn about, and any tool that cares and doesn't provide some mechanism to 
handle this case is broken.

The Packaging Manual reference seems inconsistent.  The last paragraph of 
Policy section 7.4 on virtual packages has it right... 

       If you want to specify which of a set of real packages should be 
       the default to satisfy a particular dependency on a virtual package, 
       you should list the real package as an alternative before the virtual 
       one. 

That's sufficient and correct.  Depending on just a virtual package should be
fine as along as at least one real package providing that virtual package is
available.

Bdale