Bug#212034: Debina Perl Policy manual uses "dependency" backards

["Daniel B." <dsb@smart.net>]

Package: debian-policy
Version: 3.5.6.1

The Debian Perl Policy manual
(file:/usr/share/doc/debian-policy/perl-policy.html/ch-perl.html)
uses the word "dependency" backwards.  This error makes the documentation 
hard to understand.

Per the The American Heritage Dictionary (via
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=dependency), a dependency
is:
    1. Dependence. 
    2. Something dependent or subordinate. 
    3. A territory under the jurisdiction of a state of
       which it does not form an integral part. 

In sense 2, if A depends on B, A is a dependency of B; (B is not a 
dependency of A).


The Debian Perl Policy manual, in section 1.1, says:

  Only one package may contain the /usr/bin/perl binary and that package 
  must either be perl or a dependency of that package (see Base Package, 
  Section 1.2). 

Apparently, the intent was to say that perl or one of the packages perl 
depends on must contain that binary.  However, as written, it says that 
some package that depends on perl must contains the binary.


Section 4.2 says:

  As with modules, packages using debhelper may use dh_perl(1) to 
  automatically generate dependences[sic] (see Automating Perl 
  Dependencies, Section 3.4.3). 

I don't know enough about dh_perl to know whether this is using 
"dependencies" in sense 1 (in which case it's fine), or it it's using
it in sense 2, in which case it's backwards.

Section 5.2 says:

  Dependencies for programs linking against the shared Perl library will 
  be automatically created by dpkg-shlibdeps.

Same comment.


Daniel
-- 
Daniel Barclay
dsb@smart.net