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Re: What about default-syslog [Re: new release goal default-mta?]



Hi,

On Tue, May 05, 2009 at 11:52:29AM +0100, Roger Leigh wrote:
> On Tue, May 05, 2009 at 10:36:51AM +0200, Michael Biebl wrote:
> > martin f krafft wrote:
> > > [moving debian-release@l.d.o to Bcc, continuing discussion in bug log]
...
> I think it is a problem extending to all virtual packages, and I would
> like to see a more general solution which is applicable to all.  It
> might be worth revisiting past discussion, for example this thread:
> 
> http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2006/08/msg01281.html
> 
> (I've CCd -devel and -policy because it's a general issue which should
> ideally be in policy)
> 
> The above discussion proposed a solution like default-mta.  At the time,
> I also wrote a sample "virtual-default" package which generated these
> -defaults packages for all virtual packages in the archive.  At the time
> I held off actually implementing this because Anthony Towns said he was
> implementing a better method in dpkg itself.  However, I've not seen any
> more about this other than that single time, and if mta-defaults is being
> created it looks like we are still looking for a solution.

A word like "default" tends to create tension.  Extending existing idea
like "sensible-utils" package for "sensible-*" command wrapper seems to
be good idea. 

> It would be great if we can have a general method for specifying
> distribution-wide virtual package defaults, of which
> mail-transport-agent-default is just one.

As I read this and looking at our archive, we have:

Package sensible-mda (Priority: extra)
    * Packaged by: Richard Nelson <cowboy@debian.org>
    * Sendmail source package
    * On and after lenny (stable) (mail): Mail Delivery Agent wrapper
      used by dspam and sendmail
      procmail | maildrop | deliver

Package sensible-utils (Priority: required)
    * Packaged by: Clint Adams <schizo@debian.org>
    * Sensible-utils  source package
    * On and after squeeze (testing) (utils): Utilities for sensible alternative selection
      these scripts used to be part of debianutils
      this provides sensible-{browser,editor,pager}

If a command is expected to be always on the system, integrate it into
sensible-utils seems good idea ... especially for mta and syslog if
Clint agrees.

(If a command is an optional one on the system, create package like
sensible-mda.)

Distribution choice can be expressed by the order of "Depends:" line.  But
installer can always override it peacefully by changing only one package.

Osamu


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