Re: Bug#119517: pcmcia-cs: cardinfo binary needs to move into a s eparate package

[Peter S Galbraith <GalbraithP@dfo-mpo.gc.ca>]

Bug #119517 concerns the bundled little utility called cardinfo.
I quote the maintainer: 

 'Since cardinfo does not contribute a "significant amount of
 functionality" to the package, this is not the appropriate level of
 dependency for the packages required to make cardinfo work.'

Ironically, this same utility was involved in a very similar situation in
December 1998 when it was linked against non-free XForms, and the package
had only a Suggests dependency on non-free/libforms.  Some of us objected
to a dependency on a non-free library for a package in main. Brian argued
exactly the same point at the time, that the utility played only a small
part in the package.

See the debian-devel archives for December 1998 for a thread with subject
line:
 Bug#30739: When a tiny part of a package uses non-free libraries

To the technical committee, if you rule that a package's minor binary's
libraries need not be declared as a Depends (I hope not), then please
address the same question with the added twist that the minor binary may
need a dependency to non-free (which is usually not allowed for a package
in main).  I think this case should definately be forbidden as it's a
slippery slope.  One would then only need to package non-free stuff
together with larger related free software in order to get into main
something that would not be allowed by itself.

Thanks,
-- 
Peter Galbraith