Bug#212028: apt-cache uses "dependency" backards
On Sun, 21 Sep 2003, Daniel B. wrote:
> Per the The American Heritage Dictionary (via
> http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=dependency), a dependency
> is:
> ...
> 2. Something dependent or subordinate.
> ...
>
> That is, if A depends on B, A is a dependency of B. (B is not a
> dependency of A.)
Definition #1 for Dependency is 'Dependence'. Which is defined as
1. The state of being dependent, as for support.
So if package A requires some supporting functionality from package B then
'A has a dependence on B' - which is also correctly said as 'A has a
dependency for B'.
Consider a commonly heard phrase today: 'Jack depends on drugs', 'Jack has
a drug dependency', 'Jack is dependent on drugs', 'Jack has dependency on
drugs'. 'Package: jack\n Depends: drugs'.
In this case, your example results in something very odd indeed -
'Jack is a dependency of drugs' but 'Drugs are not a dependency of Jack'
Which is clearly not the expected meaning of 'Jack depends on drugs'.
You might say 'Drugs are a dependency of Jack's' however..
Then again, I am not an English major.
Jason
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