Re: icedtea status?

[Petter Reinholdtsen <pere@hungry.com>]

[Arnaud Vandyck]
> Java apps are arch: all. How do you move "fop" (which is arch: all)
> to main on x86 only? I think it'd be a problem. I can't imagine
> Debian to distribute java package in main only for x86 and the same
> packages in contrib for other arches!

There is no need to have them in contrib for other arches.  You seem
to assume that packages in main need to work on all architectures.  As
far as I know, there is no such requirement.  It only need to work on
at least one.  The policy section 2.2.1 (the main category) reads:

  Every package in main must comply with the DFSG (Debian Free
  Software Guidelines).

  In addition, the packages in main 
   - must not require a package outside of main for compilation or
     execution (thus, the package must not declare a "Depends",
     "Recommends", or "Build-Depends" relationship on a non-main
     package),
   - must not be so buggy that we refuse to support them, and 
   - must meet all policy requirements presented in this manual.

Nothing there require it to work on _all_ architectures.  Those on
architectures where a package in main does not work yet, are free to
port it to their architecture (as it is following DFSG), but there is
no requirement for anyone to do it.

I fail to see how it make a difference for users of architectures
where a given package do not work if that package is available in main
or contrib.  They still need to get extra software from somewhere,
change their hardware, or port the software to their architecture.
The location of the source or binary do not affect their options,
while it do change the options for those architectures where the
package in question do work.

Happy hacking,
-- 
Petter Reinholdtsen