Re: Build-depends for arch independent files

[Simon McVittie <smcv@debian.org>]

On Sun, 22 Aug 2010 at 20:22:17 +0200, Sebastian Andrzej Siewior wrote:
> "This means that architecture restrictions must not be used in binary
> relationship fields for architecture-independent packages (Architecture:
> all)."

This just forbids the following:

    Architecture: all
    Depends: hello [i386 amd64]

Note that "binary relationship fields" means Depends, Recommends, Provides,
etc., as opposed to Build-Depends, Build-Conflicts or Build-Depends-Indep.

> I have a question about packages like antelope. Its dependency line
> says:
> 
>  Build-Depends: debhelper (>= 7), cdbs, default-jdk, maven-repo-helper,
>   ant, docbook-xsl, xsltproc

Strictly speaking, the packages that are needed for the build (only)
should be moved to Build-Depends-Indep. Packages that are needed for
clean, like debheper and cdbs, have to stay in Build-Depends in any case.

> In theory an arch-all rebuild of this package should fail.

dpkg-buildpackage -A (arch-independent-only) requires both Build-Depends and
Build-Depends-Indep, like a normal build; dpkg-buildpackage -B
(arch-dependent-only, as used on buildds) requires only Build-Depends.

In practice, dpkg-buildpackage -A is rarely used; maintainers build
arch-independent packages, plus arch-dependent packages for their own
architecture.

Regards,
    Simon