Mailinglist Archive: opensuse-packaging (75 mails)

[Marian Jancar <mjancar@xxxxxxx>]

Stanislav Brabec wrote:
> Hallo.
> 
> I have a package libgda, which contains many database plugins.
> 
> What to do with plugin packages, which provide a xxx support for libgda.
> 
> Suppose I will do:
> 
> Package:  libgda-mysql
> Enhances: libgda
> 
> Package:  libgda-postgres
> Enhances: libgda
> 
> This will probably cause, that beginner will click OK for all and
> package manager will install all available databases as
> hard-dependencies of all these plugins.

Lets resolve the issue here, where it originates from, instead of
hardcoding assumptions about the user preferences into packages:
Display the enhancing packages in a way that the user is not tempted
to click ok for all.

> But I want to suggest here: "Yes, libgda-mysql enhances libgda, but if
> you don't have mysql installed, you probably have no usage for it." Once
> in future, if user installs mysql package, libgda-mysql should be
> suggested.
>
> What I really need, is probably:
> Enhances: ( libgda + mysql )

Such assumption as what the user probably has or has not usage for
doesn't belong to low level stuff like a package. A package cannot (and
should not) know everything about all the system and the about the user
preferences. In this case, what if the user intends to use a mysql on a
remote machine?

> One of suggestions says, do not offer or warn about enhancement packages
> with a lot of unresolved dependencies. But it is not a solution.
> 
> For example I have also:
> 
> Package:  gstreamer-plugins-extra
> Enhances: gstreamer
> 
> The package also has many unresolved dependencies, but I really want to
> suggest here: "Yes, install all these dependencies to have a cool
> gstreamer package."

Whether a package is cool for a user depends on his preferences,
something a high level setup tool can know about but a package cannot..

> Is such feature possible or planned or what is the syntax?
> 
> 
> And additional ideas:
> 
> Is it possible to use Enhances for virtuals or Suggests for symbols
> instead of package name? I want to say: "Yes gimp-help enhances both
> gimp and gimp-unstable."
> 
> Package:  gimp-help
> Enhances: gimp-2.0
> 
> Package:  gimp
> Provides: gimp-2.0
> 
> Package:  gimp-unstable
> Provides: gimp-2.0

Both the hard/soft dependencies are after Provides (if I'm correct),
there should be no problem.

> Maybe it should be evident, why package Suggests/Enhances other package,
> to provide enough information to user. For example:
> 
> Package:  mc
> Suggests: (xv eog gv pdftotext)("To provide default viewers. You can define different viewers and ignore these suggestions.")
> 
> Package:  gnome-session
> Suggests: gnome2-user-docs("To provide enhanced user documentation.")

The purpose should be obvious from the suggested package description.

Best Regards,
Marian