Bug#212034: Debina Perl Policy manual uses "dependency" backards
On Sun, 21 Sep 2003 16:33:05 -0400, Daniel B <dsb@smart.net> said:
> Package: debian-policy Version: 3.5.6.1
> The Debian Perl Policy manual
> (file:/usr/share/doc/debian-policy/perl-policy.html/ch-perl.html)
> uses the word "dependency" backwards. This error makes the
> documentation hard to understand.
> Per the The American Heritage Dictionary (via
> http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=dependency), a dependency
> is:
> 1. Dependence.
This is the sense meant.
======================================================================
>From The Collaborative International Dictionary of English v.0.48 [gcide]:
Dependency \De*pend"en*cy\, n.; pl. {Dependencies}.
1. State of being dependent; dependence; state of being
subordinate; subordination; concatenation; connection;
reliance; trust.
[1913 Webster]
So that they may acknowledge their dependency on the
crown of England. --Bacon.
[1913 Webster]
======================================================================
So if they have a dependency on the crown, it is they who need
the countenance of the crown, not the other way around.
> 2. Something dependent or subordinate.
> 3. A territory under the jurisdiction of a state of which it does
> not form an integral part.
> In sense 2, if A depends on B, A is a dependency of B; (B is not a
> dependency of A).
> The Debian Perl Policy manual, in section 1.1, says:
> Only one package may contain the /usr/bin/perl binary and that
> package must either be perl or a dependency of that package (see
> Base Package, Section 1.2).
Ie, a package for which a dependence relation ship exists,
something that perl depends on.
> Apparently, the intent was to say that perl or one of the packages
> perl depends on must contain that binary. However, as written, it
> says that some package that depends on perl must contains the
> binary.
Nope, perl has a dependency on this package X; like someone has
a dependency on the crown of england.
> Section 4.2 says:
> As with modules, packages using debhelper may use dh_perl(1) to
> automatically generate dependences[sic] (see Automating Perl
> Dependencies, Section 3.4.3).
> I don't know enough about dh_perl to know whether this is using
> "dependencies" in sense 1 (in which case it's fine), or it it's
> using it in sense 2, in which case it's backwards.
It declares any dependencies the package may have (for
example, to the crown of england ;-)
> Section 5.2 says:
> Dependencies for programs linking against the shared Perl library
> will be automatically created by dpkg-shlibdeps.
> Same comment.
Same explanation.
manoj
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