Bug#163666: debian-policy: Unclear result with [arch] and |

[Don Armstrong <don@debian.org>]

On Sun, 25 Jan 2009, Russ Allbery wrote:
> +         If the architecture-restricted dependency is part of a set of
> +         alternatives using <tt>|</tt>, that branch of the alternative is
> +         ignored completely on architectures that do not match the
> +         restriction.  For example:
> +         <example compact="compact">
> +Build-Depends: foo [!i386] | bar [!amd64]
> +         </example>
> +         is equivalent to <tt>bar</tt> on the i386 architecture, to
> +         <tt>foo</tt> on the amd64 architecture, and to <tt>foo |
> +         bar</tt> on all other architectures.

The "branch" part is slightly confusing; I think you want "that
alternative". [Otherwise it makes it sound like foo [!i386] | bar
[!amd64] should be treated like foo on everything not i386 or bar on
everything not i386/amd64; you have to read the example to figure out
exactly what is meant.]


Don Armstrong

-- 
I may not have gone where I intended to go, but I think I have ended
up where I needed to be.
 -- Douglas Adams _The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul_

http://www.donarmstrong.com              http://rzlab.ucr.edu