On Fri, May 18, 2001 at 07:49:04AM +0200, Adrian Bunk wrote: > Policy should now require packages to specify build time dependencies > (i.e., packages which require ... MUST specify...)
> Build time dependencies have been in policy for 18 months already. (Completely irrelevent, as aj noted.) > <-- snip --> > I second this. (but there must be a note that packages that build > with only essential and build essential packages don't need build > dependencies) (I agree with the parenthetical comment.) However, the proposal already has a sufficiency of seconds -- more make no difference at this point. What it also has is objections that haven't been answered. And I also object to it, on basically the same grounds as aj stated. Policy is not a bludgeon with which to beat people into submission. It is intended to reflect the existing system, as well as what we consider best practices. A "should" clause is good if we want to encourage people to do something (such as add build-depends). However, it MUST not be changed to "must" until such time as a sufficiency of packages have been converted to comply with the "should". As aj says, "POLICY SHOULD DOCUMENT CURRENT PRACTICE"! Changing to "must" at this point WOULD BE A BUG IN POLICY, because then it wouldn't reflect what we DO do. Back in Feb, aj said there were 2047 packages still needing build- depends. If you want this proposal to take effect, the thing to do is not to blindly add YAUS (yet another useless second), but to address the objections, by NMUing or filing bugs to get the bloody packages fixed. Then, when enough people have done enough of that work, someone can say, "hey, we've reached the point where there are only 200[*] packages left without build-depends -- aj and chris, does that answer your objections?" And I, at least, would probably say yes at that point. But until then, my objection stands. [*] the exact number doesn't matter, of course -- what matters is that it be quite obvious that we've basically won, and build-depends *are* part of the system now. cheers -- Chris Waters | Pneumonoultra- osis is too long [EMAIL PROTECTED] | microscopicsilico- to fit into a single or [EMAIL PROTECTED] | volcaniconi- standalone haiku
