Package: debian-policy Version: 3.9.2.0 Severity: wishlist I was just looking at the incoming version of policy, and it occurred to me: is there any particular reason why there still needs to be a section in policy for "The OSF/Motif and OpenMotif libraries"? It defines the circumstances under which packages compiled against non-free Motif should be given names with -smotif or -dmotif suffixes; but the last such package left in the archive vanished or switched to LessTif somewhere around about Sarge. The only remaining rdeps of libmotif4 that I can see anywhere in Debian are the other members of the openmotif source package.
All the rest of the section seems to be rules that simply clarify the non-free nature of software with non-free library dependencies. So isn't it time these ancient special-case regulations about a library that nobody's using were taken off the books? If anybody's worried about the risk of opening the floodgates to new packages depending on Motif, you could consider the alternative of keeping just the first sentence, changing one word: Programs that require the non-DFSG-compliant OSF/Motif or OpenMotif - libraries[90] should be compiled against and tested with LessTif (a + libraries[90] must be compiled against and tested with LessTif (a free re-implementation of Motif) instead. But a "don't depend on this library" warning might as well live in libmotif-dev's control file instead, preferably in the form of a "Section: non-free/oldlibs". -- System Information: Debian Release: wheezy/sid APT prefers testing APT policy: (500, 'testing'), (50, 'unstable') Architecture: i386 (i686) Kernel: Linux 2.6.38-2-686 (SMP w/1 CPU core) Locale: LANG=en_GB.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_GB.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8) Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash debian-policy depends on no packages. debian-policy recommends no packages. Versions of packages debian-policy suggests: ii doc-base 0.10.1 utilities to manage online documen -- no debconf information -- JBR Ankh kak! (Ancient Egyptian blessing) -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-policy-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20110407091321.ga1...@xibalba.demon.co.uk
