Package: debian-policy
Severity: wishlist
Now that potato has been released, I propose that we start deprecating
the /usr/doc compatibility symlinks, at the same time we make
using /usr/share/doc a nearly-release-goal for woody.
The idea is, assuming this proposal is accepted:
* We modify helper packages now so that at release time most (if
not all) packages will not use symlinks anymore.
* We do not submit bug reports against packages still using symlinks,
the same way we didn't usually submit bug reports against packages not
using /usr/share/doc in potato.
* We start submitting bugs against packages not using /usr/share/doc
(maybe after a reasonable period of time after potato release).
Pseudo-patch:
The following paragraph is simply removed from policy:
6.4 Accessing the documentation
Former Debian releases placed all additional documentation in
/usr/doc/package. To realize a smooth migration to
/usr/share/doc/package, each package must maintain a symlink
/usr/doc/package that points to the new location of its documentation
in /usr/share/doc/package[12]. The symlink must be created when the
package is installed; it cannot be contained in the package itself due
to problems with dpkg. One reasonable way to accomplish this is to put
the following in the package's postinst:
if [ "$1" = "configure" ]; then
if [ -d /usr/doc -a ! -e /usr/doc/#PACKAGE# \
-a -d /usr/share/doc/#PACKAGE# ]; then
ln -sf ../share/doc/#PACKAGE# /usr/doc/#PACKAGE#
fi
fi
And the following in the package's prerm:
if [ \( "$1" = "upgrade" -o "$1" = "remove" \) \
-a -L /usr/doc/#PACKAGE# ]; then
rm -f /usr/doc/#PACKAGE#
fi
I'm looking for seconds for this proposal.
Thanks.
