Hi, Curt wrote: > >> https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=780721 > >> (libcap2-bin is recommended but is not a dependancy of iputils-ping, > >> because "iputils-ping, as priority 'important', cannot declare a > >> dependency on libcap2-bin, which is priority 'optional'").
> Why is my Stretch apt-cache command telling me it's priority optional? > Or am I once again missing some essential thing? The statement in bug 780721 seems to be outdated. The priority rules have been changed since then. The package maintainer does not have the last say on this, anyways. -------------------------------------------------------------------- https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/maint-guide/dreq.en.html#control Section and priority are used by front-ends like aptitude when they sort packages and select defaults. Once you upload the package to Debian, the value of these two fields can be overridden by the archive maintainers, in which case you will be notified by email. https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-archive.html#s-priorities The priority of a package is determined solely by the functionality it provides directly to the user. The priority of a package should not be increased merely because another higher-priority package depends on it; instead, the tools used to construct Debian installations will correctly handle package dependencies. In particular, this means that C-like libraries will almost never have a priority above optional, since they do not provide functionality directly to users. However, as an exception, the maintainers of Debian installers may request an increase of the priority of a package to resolve installation issues and ensure that the correct set of packages is included in a standard or minimal install. -------------------------------------------------------------------- So the explanation in https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=780721#10 iputils-ping, as priority "important", cannot declare a dependency on libcap2-bin, which is priority "optional". is wrong and in direct contradiction to The Policy. https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=780721#20 quotes exactly the above policy paragraph as Packages must not depend on packages with lower priority values (excluding build-time dependencies). In order to ensure this, the priorities of one or more packages may need to be adjusted. which i cannot see there any more. The change probably happened in august 2017: https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/upgrading-checklist.html#version-4-0-1 2.5 [...] Packages may now depend on packages with a lower priority. [...] Last message in https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=780721 is of february 2016. So this bug could need an update and iputils-ping could now depend on libcap2-bin. As we see in https://tracker.debian.org/media/packages/i/iputils/control-320180629-2 it is not done yet: Package: iputils-ping ... Recommends: libcap2-bin Have a nice day :) Thomas
