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Re: when and why did python(-minimal) become essential?



Matt Zimmerman <mdz@debian.org> writes:

> On Thu, Jan 19, 2006 at 06:38:55PM -0500, David Nusinow wrote:
>> On Thu, Jan 19, 2006 at 03:18:48PM -0800, Matt Zimmerman wrote:
>> > On Thu, Jan 19, 2006 at 05:58:20PM -0500, David Nusinow wrote:
>> > > That said, I don't really understand why it's Ok for Ubuntu to do this but
>> > > not us.
>> > 
>> > Ubuntu never installs python-minimal without python, even in base.
>> 
>> Ah, ok. Then why bother with the package at all then? Why not just make all
>> of python Essential: yes?
>
> Because it has additional dependencies on packages which are not Essential:
> yes, and because -minimal is much smaller (if someone explicitly uninstalls
> it, along with the standard packages which depend on it), we can assume they
> are accepting the consequences).

I'm confused now.  Python depends on, say, foobie, where foobie is not
Essential, and is quite large.  

But python-minimal is always installed along with python.  So
anytime python-minimal is there, foobie is there too, since python
depends on it.  Right?

Programs that want to use python can assume that python-minimal is
there (since it's Essential), and since python-minimal is never
installed without python also installed, they can also now assume that
all of python, including foobie, is there.

What am I missing?

Thomas



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