Re: changing priority optional->extra
Le Tue, Nov 05, 2013 at 11:01:37PM +0100, Sascha Steinbiss a écrit :
>
> I'm trying to deal with some package dependency issues where an optional
> package depends on one in extra:
>
> http://qa.debian.org/debcheck.php?dist=testing&package=genometools and
> http://qa.debian.org/debcheck.php?dist=testing&package=ltrsift
>
> Note that these seem to be have been inconsistent before as the PTS page
> even says (http://packages.qa.debian.org/g/genometools.html):
>
> There were override disparities found in suite unstable:
> libgenometools0: Override says libs - extra,
> .deb says science - optional
> genometools: Override says science - extra,
> .deb says science - optional
> libgenometools0-dev: Override says libdevel - extra,
> .deb says libdevel - optional
> genometools-common: Override says science - extra,
> .deb says science - optional
> genometools-doc: Override says doc - extra,
> .deb says doc - optional
>
> Quick question: is it the correct solution to simply change the sections
> and priorities of the offending binary packages to fit the override
> values and reupload? I presume that will not result in some unexpected
> side effects?
Dear Sascha,
the Priority and Section fields of a package are used once, when they are
accepted for the first time in the Debian archive. Further changes have no
effect; one has to request the FTP team to change the metadata of the archive
directly by opening a bug on the pseudopackage “ftp.debian.org”. For this,
using the 'reportbug' tool is recommended.
The question is then: when the source package and the archive do not indicate
the same, which one to correct.
For the priority, there are not many practical difference between “optional”
and “extra”, the main one being that all the “optional” packages must be
co-installable. So if genometools does not conflict with another package nor
depend on an “extra” package, it may be more straightforward to chose
“optional”.
In the case of the sections, libraries should be in the “libs” section so here
it is definitely the source package that has to be corrected.
By the way, the override disparities are a minor problem, so there is no need
to immediately upload if it is only to propagate the changes.
Have a nice day,
--
Charles Plessy
Debian Med packaging team,
http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-med
Tsurumi, Kanagawa, Japan
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