Bug#233392: Inefficient packaging of arch independent data in package libc6

[Steve McIntyre <steve@einval.com>]

Package: libc6
Version: 2.3.2.ds1-11
Severity: normal

This is a semi-automated bug report based on scanning the contents of
binary .deb files in the unstable Debian archive.

The libc6 packages seem to contain a very large amount of
architecture-independent data in architecture-dependent packages,
specifically data installed under /usr/share. This is wasteful of
mirror space and bandwidth, as we then end up with multiple copies of
this data, one for each architecture. Initial estimates suggest that
several gigabytes of Debian archive space may currently be wasted
because of packages like this.

The way to fix this depends on the layout of your package:

  * Some packages need to have a -common or -doc package split out to
    contain this common data, and the existing packages that need this
    data should then be altered to depend on the new -common or -doc
    package.

  * This package may already be such a -common or -doc package, in
    which case it probably should already be marked as Architecture:
    all in your debian/control file rather than Architecture: any .

  * Maybe the files under /usr/share do not belong there - several
    packages seem to contain data in /usr/share that is definitely
    architecture-dependent. In this case, please move the files into
    the right place.

Policy is quite clear on this point:

http://www.debian.org/doc/developers-reference/ch-best-pkging-practices#s-bpp-archindepdata

The usage of these packages is currently:
 debsize pkgsize /usr/share %  filename
 4041994  13140        5800 44 pool/main/g/glibc/libc6_2.3.2.ds1-11_arm.deb
 4345510  14220        5800 40 pool/main/g/glibc/libc6_2.3.2.ds1-11_hppa.deb
 4877886  15120        5956 39 pool/main/g/glibc/libc6_2.3.2.ds1-11_i386.deb
 3681378  12360        5800 46 pool/main/g/glibc/libc6_2.3.2.ds1-11_m68k.deb
 4165148  15048        5800 38 pool/main/g/glibc/libc6_2.3.2.ds1-11_mips.deb
 4096278  15048        5800 38 pool/main/g/glibc/libc6_2.3.2.ds1-11_mipsel.deb
 4211148  14036        5808 41 pool/main/g/glibc/libc6_2.3.2.ds1-11_powerpc.deb
 5417456  16076        5848 36 pool/main/g/glibc/libc6_2.3.2.ds1-11_s390.deb
 4128276  13868        5800 41 pool/main/g/glibc/libc6_2.3.2.ds1-11_sparc.deb

Please split this package appropriately. If you believe your package
is already split reasonably, then sorry for bothering you. If you wish
to discuss this further, please feel free to reply to this bug. If you
agree that there's a problem here but need help to fix it: again, feel
free to ask...

Thanks,
--
Steve McIntyre, Cambridge, UK.                                steve@einval.com