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Re: is it a bug to not depend on a library package needed for some binary?



On Sunday 17 July 2005 10.14, Karl Chen wrote:
> Suppose package P contains files /usr/bin/B1 and /usr/bin/B2.  B1
> is the important program, and B2 is not as important.  Is it OK
> for the declared package dependencies to not satisfy all the
> run-time shared library dependencies of B2?  What if they are
> listed in Suggests?
>
> I have found many such packages.

This is what Recommends: is for.  I'd say a Suggests: is too weak (except if 
the helper program B2 is really, really unimportant - perhaps it should not 
be installed, or just put to /usr/share/doc/contrib or so?

But as soon as B2 is something that actually is used by many people, a hard 
dependency would make sense.  And, of course, for not-so-small B2, Goswin's 
suggestion to split it out into its own package makes sense, too.

cheers
-- vbi

-- 
Today is Boomtime, the 56th day of Confusion in the YOLD 3171

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