[Date Prev][Date Next] [Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

Re: Experimental ddeb support in debhelper and lintian (Was: Re: -dbg packages; are they actually useful?)



On Sat, May 02, 2015 at 09:07:56AM -0400, James McCoy wrote:
> On Sat, May 02, 2015 at 01:46:25PM +0200, David Kalnischkies wrote:
> > (aka: I don't see why a debug
> > package has to depend on the package it provides symbols for at all. If
> > any the relation should be 'Enhances'…).
> 
> The intention is to ensure the debug symbols came from the same build as
> the binary packages which are being enhanced. Enhances doesn't provide
> that guarantee since it's a purely aesthetic relationship.  The

Why? Is something broken by the fact that you have a -dbg(sym) package
installed, but not the package the debug symbols are for, or does
anything break by having an outdated -dbg(sym) package – appart from
your ability to make use of the symbols files?

-data packages do not depend on their users even through they are
useless without them. -doc packages do not depend on the things they
document even through having an outdated version means stuff which is
documented to work doesn't (which could be quite dangerous).

Note also that the relation you are trying to express is stronger than
can be expressed currently as Provides can satisfy such a relation
(curtesy of versioned provides being supported by dpkg now), while they
are hardly satisfying the intention.

I think this Depends is only "needed" because most manual debug packages
have it, so by induction, the automatic ones "need" it, too.


Oh, and I would prefer teaching our packages managers to deal with
enhances better, rather than declaring them "purely aesthetic" forever…
There is nothing wrong with teaching them to keep installed (reverse)
enhance relations satisfied, much like they do for recommends (and
should for suggests) for example. Keeping debug packages autoinstalled,
but tagged as non-garbage as long as the package they enhance is
installed would be fun, too.
There are countless more plans for great things. Unfortuently manpower
is too limited to have them all done at once. I hope we can get at least
some for stretch…


Best regards

David Kalnischkies

Attachment: signature.asc
Description: Digital signature


Reply to: