[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
> On Sunday 08 May 2005 23:28, Tobias Stefan Richter wrote:
> > To understand the issue correctly: What can be done with chipcard-tools
> > without installing further libraries, not declared as a dependency?
> [...]
> The problem is this: Some drivers are binary-only and will never come with a
> license acceptable to Debian (e.g. Kobil drivers). So for some readers the
> user will *always* have to install the drivers himself.
I don't know if that is still acceptable, but one could provide
a download and install meta package for those drivers.
> By not setting up dependencies for drivers you do not render Libchipcard
> useless, since you don't deny the user the possiblity to install drivers
> himself.
I will not try to convice you that this is a bad excuse.
It for sure is a violation of the Debian Policy 3.5 (Dependencies):
For example, a dependency entry must be provided for any shared
libraries required by a dynamically-linked executable binary in a
package.
chipcard-tools contains binaries that need at least one of the driver
libraries to work. Excluding perhaps the client stuff, but even a single
binary would violate the Policy. That fact that for some alternatives no
Debian package even exists does not improve matters.
So the bug serverity of 'important' was in fact wrong. 'Serious' would
have been correct, sorry.
> On the other hand filing dependencies for the already available GPL drivers
> will result in the user installing a Cyberjack or Towitoko driver even if he
> rather has a Kobil device. This will most likely confuse the user...
>
> Depending on drivers is only acceptable if drivers for *all* (or at least
> most
> generally used) readers are available, IMHO.
The drivers could provide a virtual package so the user would have to
pick the right one(s).
For the Kobil driver (and other non-free ones) I don't know if a
download-and-install meta package for the Kobil driver would be acceptable
(both for Kobil and Debian). Alternatively the chipcard-tools package could
state that additional readers would be supported by non-free libraries.
The user confusion is not minimized by providing no hints at all that
additional software would be needed, by the way.
Bye,
Tobias
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