Bug#614807: debian-policy: Please document autobuilder-imposed build-dependency alternative restrictions
Jonathan Nieder <jrnieder@gmail.com> writes:
> This means if I write
> Build-Depends: a | b
> then it will always use 'a', regardless of the release, right?
If 'a' is not installable, I thought it would then install 'b', but
perhaps I'm wrong about how the buildds work?
If 'b' is already installed, I also didn't think 'a' would be installed.
Could someone confirmm how this really works?
> What is the comment about providing flexibility talking about here?
> Is it saying that I can use 'a | b' to provide flexibility for people
> building outside an autobuilder environment?
I think some of the package-building tools that don't use clean chroots
will use 'b' if it's already installed and not try to install 'a'.
> To help backporters, I have used this functionality before and
> backporters have uploaded the package as-is to a backports dist that
> didn't include 'a'. The package built against 'b'. Was this an
> autobuilder bug?
Yeah, that's a great question. How does this work for backports?
--
Russ Allbery (rra@debian.org) <http://www.eyrie.org/~eagle/>
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