Bug#196367: debian-policy: clarify what to do about priority mismatches

[Josip Rodin <joy@srce.hr>]

On Fri, Jun 06, 2003 at 01:52:58PM +0100, Colin Watson wrote:
[...]

I propose this patch:

--- policy.sgml~        2003-07-21 12:17:53.000000000 +0200
+++ policy.sgml 2003-07-21 12:31:13.000000000 +0200
@@ -779,11 +779,24 @@
        </p>

        <p>
-         Packages must not depend on packages with lower priority
+         Packages should not depend on packages with lower priority
          values (excluding build-time dependencies).  In order to
          ensure this, the priorities of one or more packages may need
          to be adjusted.
        </p>
+
+       <p>
+         Note that actual priorities of packages in the Debian archive
+         are set with the so-called override files, which are maintained
+         by the archive maintenance team.
+         <footnote>
+           In practice, this means that even if the package maintainer
+           uploads a "fixed" version of the package, the priority will
+           still be wrong in the Packages file until an ftpmaster goes
+           and changes the override. Thus, mass-filing bug reports
+           against individual packages for this is strongly discouraged.
+         </footnote>
+       </p>
       </sect>

     </chapt>

It more or less documents the current practice. It may not stop kneejerk
mass bug filing, but then again, maybe nothing will.

-- 
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