Bug#823348: Limit the strongest dependencies on supplemental -doc packages
Josh Triplett <josh@joshtriplett.org> writes:
> Based on a thread on debian-devel about Recommends, I'd like to propose
> the attached change to policy, which limits the strongest dependency a
> package should declare on its supplemental -doc package.
> This mostly documents existing practice. Packages don't tend to declare
> Depends on their -doc packages at all. Packages primarily used for
> development don't tend to declare Recommends on their -doc packages to
> avoid installing them by default on the systems of developers who just
> want the package installed to support development of some other package.
> Likewise, command-line tools that already provide a manpage or a text
> manual don't tend to declare Recommends on a -doc package providing an
> HTML manual for that tool.
> The phrasing of "at most" avoids mandating any minimum dependency
> relationship, leaving it up to the maintainer's discretion how much the
> prospective user of a package will want the corresponding -doc package.
[...]
Looks reasonable to me. Seconded.
> diff --git a/policy.sgml b/policy.sgml
> index 404dc73..421e0d1 100644
> --- a/policy.sgml
> +++ b/policy.sgml
> @@ -10699,6 +10699,18 @@ END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
> </p>
>
> <p>
> + If <var>package</var> is a build tool, development tool,
> + command-line tool, or library development package,
> + <var>package</var> (or <var>package</var>-dev in the case of a
> + library development package) already provides documentation in
> + man, info, or plain text format, and <var>package</var>-doc
> + provides HTML or other formats, <var>package</var> should declare
> + at most a <tt>Suggests</tt> on <var>package</var>-doc. Otherwise,
> + <var>package</var> should declare at most a <tt>Recommends</tt> on
> + <var>package</var>-doc.
> + </p>
> +
> + <p>
> Additional documentation included in the package should be
> installed under <file>/usr/share/doc/<var>package</var></file>.
> If the documentation is packaged separately,
--
Russ Allbery (rra@debian.org) <http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>
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