Re: Depending on both runtime and dev packages?

[Thomas Viehmann <tv@beamnet.de>]

Martin Meredith wrote:
> Dont most -dev packages auto-depend on the libs they're assosciated with
> anyway?

Adding to Kevin's explanation, please keep in mind that taking shortcuts
in the dependencies is a bad practice in general (as in "don't do it")
and there's no reason for starting it here.

This is important enough to be spelled out in policy (Section 3.5):

  For example, a dependency entry must be provided for any shared
  libraries required by a dynamically-linked executable binary in a
  package.

With Davide's generic description, a user might be able to run an
(older) foo-bin with a newer libfoo-dev. If there has been a soversion
change in libfooX, you have an RC bug for the compiler not depending on
on the older library package. Yes, even if this could be done with dpkg
it is rather hypothetical, but reality will likely be more creative than
yours truly...

Kind regards

T.
-- 
Thomas Viehmann, http://thomas.viehmann.net/