On Sat, Nov 09, 2002 at 04:25:00PM +0100, Sebastian Rittau wrote: > Package: debian-policy > Version: 3.5.7.0 > Severity: wishlist > > I suggest the following alteration to the policy: I object strenuously to this proposal. > + All libraries must have a shared version in the > + <tt>lib*</tt> package and may have a static version in the > + <tt>lib*-dev</tt> package. > Rationale: > > The removed paragraph was redundant with the first paragraph of the > section and was moved there. You've made it a violation of policy to *not* provided a shared version of a library. Some libraries aren't intended to have shared versions available. For instance, see the package description of xlibs-dev: xlibs-dev provides static versions of the libraries provided in xlibs, as well as several libraries that do not exist in shared object form for various reasons (such as the fact that their APIs have not stabilized, or that they are deprecated). Header files and manual pages are also provided. Also see libtwofish-dev. > The main aspect of this proposal is the removed requirement of > including static versions of each library in the corresponding -dev > package. Many modern libraries don't work well as a static library and > usage of static libraries should be deprecated except for a few > specific cases. Cite examples. > This policy change would allow maintainers to decide for themselves, > whether a static version of their library is useful, thereby decreasing > the size of many -dev packages and in turn decreasing download time and > archive size. In the rare cases, where a static library is needed and > the package maintainer doesn't provide it, the user can either request > the inclusion from the maintainer or compile the library his/herself. The user can do all kinds of things for "hisself" [sic]; Debian tries to make such things straightforward. How about a policy proposal that simply clears up the redundancy rather than pursuing a private agenda as a bonus? -- G. Branden Robinson | It just seems to me that you are Debian GNU/Linux | willfully entering an arse-kicking branden@debian.org | contest with a monstrous entity http://people.debian.org/~branden/ | that has sixteen legs and no arse.
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