Bug#34652: [PROPOSAL] Policy is not clear about nawk.

[Santiago Vila <sanvila@unex.es>]

Package: debian-policy

[ Note: I think this bug should be fixed before Bug #34428 ].

The bug:
=======

The /usr/doc/debian-policy/virtual-package-names-list.text.gz file says:

awk                     Anything providing suitable /usr/bin/{awk,nawk}

So: Is "nawk" an approved virtual package name or not? It appears in the
right-hand side but not in the left-hand side!

IMHO, it should read either this:

1)

awk                     Anything providing suitable /usr/bin/awk

or this:

2)

awk                     Anything providing suitable /usr/bin/awk
nawk                    Anything providing suitable /usr/bin/nawk

Some facts about this bug:
=========================

We have three Debian awk packages, and none of them is an "old awk":

mawk
gawk
original-awk


My proposal to fix the bug:
==========================

Technically speaking, I don't think we need a "nawk" virtual package.
IMHO, the old awk / new awk dichotomy is a leftover of the past.
If we assume Debian is "standarized enough" so that, for example, 
/usr/bin/perl is always "perl version 5", and the log directory is always
/var/log, we could do the same with awk and require that every package
providing /usr/bin/awk should always be a "new awk".

So, to simplify things, I propose that we modify the policy so that only
`awk' is listed as a virtual package, i.e. proposal "1)" above.

[ This way, bug #34428 would be just a bug in autoconf for not using "awk" 
instead of "nawk"; not a bug in four packages: autoconf, mawk, gawk and
original-awk for not having autoconf a Depends: nawk and not having mawk,
gawk and original-awk a Provides: nawk ].

I'm now looking for seconds for this proposal.

[ BTW: How long the discussion period be? Two weeks? ].

Thanks.

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