Bug#233322: Inefficient packaging of arch independent data in package advi

[Steve McIntyre <steve@einval.com>]

Package: advi
Version: 1.4.0-7
Severity: normal

This is a semi-automated bug report based on scanning the contents of
binary .deb files in the unstable Debian archive.

The advi packages seem to contain a very large amount of
architecture-independent data in architecture-dependent packages,
specifically data installed under /usr/share. This is wasteful of
mirror space and bandwidth, as we then end up with multiple copies of
this data, one for each architecture. Initial estimates suggest that
several gigabytes of Debian archive space may currently be wasted
because of packages like this.

The way to fix this depends on the layout of your package:

  * Some packages need to have a -common or -doc package split out to
    contain this common data, and the existing packages that need this
    data should then be altered to depend on the new -common or -doc
    package.

  * This package may already be such a -common or -doc package, in
    which case it probably should already be marked as Architecture:
    all in your debian/control file rather than Architecture: any .

  * Maybe the files under /usr/share do not belong there - several
    packages seem to contain data in /usr/share that is definitely
    architecture-dependent. In this case, please move the files into
    the right place.

Policy is quite clear on this point:

http://www.debian.org/doc/developers-reference/ch-best-pkging-practices#s-bpp-archindepdata

The usage of these packages is currently:
 debsize pkgsize /usr/share %  filename
 5096578   6644        4756 71 pool/main/a/advi/advi_1.4.0-7_alpha.deb
 4946932   6124        4756 77 pool/main/a/advi/advi_1.4.0-7_arm.deb
 5321082   7160        4756 66 pool/main/a/advi/advi_1.4.0-7_hppa.deb
 4854084   6048        4756 78 pool/main/a/advi/advi_1.4.0-7_i386.deb
 5362210   7640        4756 62 pool/main/a/advi/advi_1.4.0-7_ia64.deb
 5302616   7084        4756 67 pool/main/a/advi/advi_1.4.0-7_m68k.deb
 5314774   7240        4756 65 pool/main/a/advi/advi_1.4.0-7_mips.deb
 5313058   7240        4756 65 pool/main/a/advi/advi_1.4.0-7_mipsel.deb
 4958888   6200        4756 76 pool/main/a/advi/advi_1.4.0-7_powerpc.deb
 5325264   7168        4756 66 pool/main/a/advi/advi_1.4.0-7_s390.deb
 4968748   6220        4756 76 pool/main/a/advi/advi_1.4.0-7_sparc.deb

Please split this package appropriately. If you believe your package
is already split reasonably, then sorry for bothering you. If you wish
to discuss this further, please feel free to reply to this bug. If you
agree that there's a problem here but need help to fix it: again, feel
free to ask...

Thanks,
--
Steve McIntyre, Cambridge, UK.                                steve@einval.com