Bug#900060: apt-get build-dep debian-policy installs too mucho

[Bill Allombert <ballombe@debian.org>]

On Fri, May 25, 2018 at 02:18:10PM +0100, Ian Jackson wrote:
> Package: debian-policy
> Version: 4.1.4.1
> Severity: minor
> 
> I did this, with recommends enabled, in a bare-ish sid shroot, and it
> installed
>    python-numpy            (wtf!)
>    libavahi-common3        (libavahi:amd64 is sadly to be expected)
>    python-gtk2             (for gui applications?)
>    hicolor-icon-theme gnome-icon-theme  (_two_ themes?)
> 
> I think this is almost certainly the result of Recommends bloat in
> some other packages.
> 
> (There was also an *enormous* pile of fonts and document processing
> tools etc., which is expected, I guess, although I do wonder what
> proportion of all that is used.)

This is rather apt bug than a policy bug:
'apt-get build-dep' should not install recommends (because they are not
part of the build dependencies) and there should be an option for non
transitive Recommends (install Recommends but not Recommends of
Recommends).

Cheers
-- 
Bill. <ballombe@debian.org>

Imagine a large red swirl here.