Bug#41232: debian-policy: [PROPOSAL] Build-time dependencies on binary packages
On Sat, Jul 31, 1999 at 10:24:47PM -0700, Joey Hess wrote:
> > on the grounds that
> > it doesn't allow me to correctly specify glibc's source depends.
> > I need them conditional on DEB_HOST_GNU_SYSTEM, e.g. for Linux-based
> > GNU systems I need to depend on kernel-headers-<version>, for
> > HURD-based GNU systems I need hurd-dev and gnumach-dev (at least, I
> > think I do).
> > I'm not sure how many other packages might need conditional source
> > depends, this could be a specialized requirement.
>
> Why not make some virtual packages. All kernel-headers-* packages provide
> both, the hurd-dev and gnumach-dev packages each provide one.
In my experience, such quick hacks are inconvenient for people who for
example create a new distribution (for example Debian GNU/BSD), because
changes need coordination between several maintainers. It is much better if
we try to keep our decentralized structure.
And, it would somehow be wrong, because there is no abstract ground on which
these virtual packages could be created. They would come out of thin air,
just to fit this proposal.
We have packages that can't be compiled on all arhcitectures. Now we need to
care about different source dependencies on different architectures as well.
This shouldn't be too hard. You only need a syntax for it. There are several
possibilities:
Build-Depends: hurd-all:gnumach-dev, hurd-all:hurd-dev, linux-all:kernel-headers-2.0.36
Or:
Build-Depends: texinfo
Build-Depends-hurd-all: gnumach-dev, hurd-dev
Build-Depends-linux-all: kernel-headers-2.0.36
Whatever you do, please make sure that this proposal is flexible enough to
catch individual Debian architectures, not only Hurd vs. Linux.
Thanks,
Marcus
--
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