Re: Metapackage dependencies: "Depends" or "Recommends"?

[Ole Streicher <olebole@debian.org>]

Paul Tagliamonte <paultag@debian.org> writes:
> Well, I have a personal "thing" about this - it strikes me as quirky to
> not have a Depends, since those metapackages, without all of them, is
> technically not satisfied.

I don't understand this argument.

> I'd prefer to see metapackages use Recommends for the things that
> should (but don't *have* to be) installed, and Depends for the things
> that the metapackage is there for.

There are no things "that the metapackage is for": The package just
collects a number of programs that belong to the same author and are
usually installed together. There is no particular requirement to have
any of them installed; therefor I don't want to make any single program
as "Depend".

Other packages will never depend on this metapackage; they will rather
depend on the individual programs.

Or am I abusing the metapackage system here?

Best regards

Ole