Splitting a package between doc and binary

[Kristoffer.Rose@ENS-Lyon.FR]

Peter S Galbraith asks:

> The gri package for i386 is 2MB in size.  About 3/4 of that are
> docs suitable for all archs.
> 
> Should I split the package to save space on servers (sharing the
> doc) and keep it as is to reduce name space and number of
> packages?
>
> I do think most gri users will want the docs (especially since
> it's a programming language, so users need to learn it).  But
> perhaps a minority of users would upgrade the binary package and
> not necessarily the docs package as often if they were on a modem
> connection. 

You should definitely split off the documents, in fact split it in three as
explained below.

Reason: in practice most "users" of exotic programming languages (i.e.,
anything not in {C,C++} :) turn out to be "indirect users", i.e., users
that only download the language because some other package depends on it.
(Please read on before refusing this.)

Thus a programming language L usually comes in three packages:

1. Absolute minimal "L-base" package in either the interpreters or libraries
   section (as appropriate) with what is needed to run L-programs written
   (and compiled, if appropriate) by someone else.

   This is what packages using L should depend on.

2. "L-dev" package the compiler and what is needed to compile (and link, if 
   appropriate) programs in the language.

   This is the package that other packages containing (or generating)
   L-source programs will depend on.

3. "L-doc" package with the documentation for "real" users of L.

   No-one depends on this package but it could be "Suggest:"ed by L-dev.

Remember: don't think to small -- if the gri programming language is worth
using it is worth making packages with it.  This means that there will be
indirect users in the sense above.

Best regards,
		Kristoffer
-- 
Kristoffer Høgsbro Rose, phd, prof.associé  <http://www.ens-lyon.fr/~krisrose>
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phone +33(0)4 7272 8642, fax +33(0)4 7272 8080   <Kristoffer.Rose@ENS-Lyon.FR>
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