Bug#1027832: debian-policy: Please clarify that priority required packages are not automatically build essential

[Santiago Vila <sanvila@debian.org>]

Package: debian-policy
Version: 4.6.2.0
Severity: wishlist

Hello. This is an attempt to put the basis for fixing this bug:

https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=837060

As an example, packages tzdata, mount or e2fsprogs are not build-essential
and afaik have not been for a long time, but there are still people who
believe that they are build-essential for the mere fact that they are
priority:required.

Therefore I think a clarification would be useful to clear those kind
of misconceptions.

Proposed text, to be added after the paragraph which defines build essential
based on the Hello World example:

----------------------------------------------------------
From this definition it follows that packages of required priority are not
necessarily build essential, as it is possible for some them not to be
needed at all to compile, link and put in a Debian package a Hello World
program written in C or C++.
----------------------------------------------------------

Next step would be to add a paragraph saying tools like debootstrap when used
to create chroots for building (i.e. "buildd" profile in deboostrap) should try
to keep the list of installed packages as minimal as possible, as far as
doing so does not become disruptive (for example, apt is technically not
build-essential but it is required to install the build-dependencies).

Thanks.