:: Re: [Dng] Use/misuse of depends
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Autor: Noel Torres
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A: dng
Assumpte: Re: [Dng] Use/misuse of depends
On Tuesday, 13 de January de 2015 20:25:25 hellekin escribió:
> On 01/13/2015 02:23 PM, Joel Roth wrote:
> > Also, I recall that in a default Debian install, recommended
> > packages are pulled in by default. A setting change makes it
> > possible to only pull in the package dependencies.
>
> *** Are you suggesting that Devuan should use that setting and not pull
> in Recommends automatically?
>
> cat > /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/70befrugal <<<EOD
> # Don't pull in Recommends by default
> APT::Install-Recommends "0";
> # Don't pull in Suggests by default
> APT::Install-Suggests "0";
> EOD


We all, and specially packagers, should remember what is what in Debian's
dependency system, and what do we want for Devuan.

* Pre-Depends: a package must be installed and correctly configured "before
even starting the installation of the package which declares the pre-
dependency"

* Depends: "A Depends field takes effect only when a package is to be
configured." "This declares an absolute dependency. A package will not be
configured unless all of the packages listed in its Depends field have been
correctly configured"

* Recommends: "The Recommends field should list packages that would be found
together with this one in all but unusual installations"

* Suggests (and Enhances): "This is used to declare that one package may be
more useful with one or more others"

As of this, we should all remember the exact point of Recommends is that the
dependency is not absolute, but must be honoured almost always. This is why
the setting is to always install recommends, and leave to the UA (or VUA) to
decide not to install a specific Recommends package.

Regards

er Envite