On Mon, Mar 15, 2010 at 02:42:23PM -0500, Jonathan Yu wrote:
If I install package X, I expect the modules in there to work. I don't want to have to manually install dependencies which were only recommended.
Packages recommended need not be installed "manually". That is the case for suggested packages.
Packages should only be depended on if *always* needed, else it should be recommended.
Once upon a time APT was invented. Together with the engine was also a proof-of-concept minimal tool using this funky new engine, called apt-get. A problem with this tool was that it did not respect the relationship hints as mandated by Debian Policy - Recommended packages was treated equally to suggested ones.
Apt-get became popular, even if half broken.Another APT tool, aptitude, was developed which properly respected recommandations. Release notes documented that the official tool to upgrade a system reliably was aptitude (not apt-get!), but forums, chatrooms and mailinglists were flooded with guides using apt-get.
Apt-get has since been corrected and today properly respects recommends, but the rumor of the wrong behaviour persist.
Hope that clarifies... - Jonas -- * Jonas Smedegaard - idealist & Internet-arkitekt * Tlf.: +45 40843136 Website: http://dr.jones.dk/ [x] quote me freely [ ] ask before reusing [ ] keep private
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