Re: alternative dependency ordering - with respect of packages in main

[Ben Armstrong <synrg@sanctuary.nslug.ns.ca>]

On 09/20/2011 08:43 AM, Paul Wise wrote:
> On Tue, Sep 20, 2011 at 7:12 PM, Gerfried Fuchs wrote:
> Package: bar
> Depends: foo
> 
> Package: foo-contrib
> Provides: foo

While that neatly sidesteps the issue, 7.5 says:

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

But that doesn't specify a 'must' (or even 'should'). What I'm concerned
about is if someone has already added contrib or non-free to their apt
sources for the purpose of providing some software essential to their
needs, by not specifying which dependency is preferable here, the user
will arbitrarily end up with a free or non-free 'foo' which may or may
not be what they want. Though arguably, if they wanted only the
"essential" stuff from contrib/non-free, they could use pinning to
ensure that's all they take.

Ben