Comments on introducing a new Essential package: base-init?

[Roger Leigh <rleigh@codelibre.net>]

This is regarding Bug #645540 ("Essential" package conflict between
sysvinit and systemd-sysv).

sysvinit is currently Essential.  In order to permit the replacement
of sysvinit with an alternative init system, I'd like to propose the
creation of a new Essential package "base-init", with a Depends on
"sysvinit | init", where "init" is a virtual package provided by all
packages providing /sbin/init.  This would be provided by sysvinit,
systemd, upstart, etc.

With this package in place, sysvinit could be removed from the
Essential set, but remain the default init system.  This would
permit alternative init systems to entirely replace sysvinit.

An alternative would be for an existing Essential package such as
base-files to provide the Depends, which would save the need for
a separate base-init package.  Is there any reason this would be
undesirable?  (I note that it currently has no depends other than
a pre-depends on awk.)

Any comments?


Thanks,
Roger

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