Re: Source dependencies: are we ready?

[Antti-Juhani Kaijanaho <gaia@iki.fi>]

On Tue, Oct 26, 1999 at 04:30:50AM -0700, Joel Klecker wrote:
> I do have a problem with the text for policy; it does not explain the 
> difference between Build-Indep-{Depends,Conflicts} and 
> Build-{Depends,Conflicts}.

The difference is clearly defined by the amendment.  The
Build-{Depends,Conflicts}-Indep fields will be consulted only when the
architecture-independent packages are being built.  In other words, they
will *not* be consulted when doing a architecture-dependent packages only
build (for example, like the build daemons do).

> Someone who simply reads the new policy will have no clue (besides 
> perhaps guessing that the -Indep form has some relation to 
> binary-indep) what exactly the difference is and in what situations 
> each is used.

Here's a rule of thumb: if your source package builds only
architecture-dependent packages, use only Build-{Depends,Conflicts}.
If it builds only architecture-independent packages, you get too choose.
If it builds both, use Build-{Depends,Conflicts} to specify build-time
dependencies needed to build the architecture-dependent packages and
put in Build-{Depends-Conflicts}-Indep whatever additional packages are
needed to build the architecture-independent packages.

I really wish you had spoken up back then when we could have made the
wording more clear on this.

-- 
%%% Antti-Juhani Kaijanaho % gaia@iki.fi % http://www.iki.fi/gaia/ %%%

                                  ""
                             (John Cage)