Version specific packages

[Peter S Galbraith <GalbraithP@dfo-mpo.gc.ca>]

Can a Debian package mention a non-official package (available
elsewhere) in its control file?

--

I'm putting the last tweaks into a package called gri that will
go into main shortly.  Last July (before I was a developer) I
asked this list about packaging different versions of it such that:

   - Package gri-2.1.17-1_i386.deb is uploaded to Debian for
     general use. It will be overriden by subsequent versions.

   - Package gri2.1.17-2.1.17_1_i386.deb is made for specific
     installs that need this specific version of gri.  I'd make
     versioned packages like this available for download at my
     ftp site, but wouldn't fill-up Debian with them.

Hamish Moffatt wrote:
 
> If you will only upload gri (rather than gri2.1.17) into Debian,
> then there is nothing to discuss -- just do it :-) You are free to make
> any local packages you want to and distribute them unofficially, although
> you own both pieces if something breaks.

I would like these packages to be aware of each-other. I currenty do:

$ dpkg --info gri-2.2.0_2.2.0-1_i386.deb
 Package: gri-2.2.0
 Version: 2.2.0-1
 Conflicts: gri (= 2.2.0-1)

$ dpkg --info gri_2.2.0-1_i386.deb
 Package: gri
 Version: 2.2.0-1
 Replaces: gri-2.2.0

So you can't install gri-2.2.0 over gri, but gri will override gri-2.2.0.

The question is as follows:  Can the Debian package `gri' mention
a non-official package `gri-2.2.0' in its control file?

Thanks,
Peter <psg@debian.org>