Subject: Re: PGP depends.

From: Ian Jackson <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 1 Sep 96 16:17 BST

Dale Scheetz writes ("PGP depends."):
...
> Now, as it happens, I have also been reading the new Policy manual (BTW,
> thank you Ian J. for this fine piece of work. It has been long needed and
> I for one greatly appreciate your work) and it has some things to say
> about this issue. In particular it says that packages that depend on
> packages in non-free are to reside in contrib (or non-free if other
> restictions apply). This makes it clear that mailcrypt should be in
> contrib rather than the distribution proper. It isn't specific about those
> packages that recommend or suggest a non-free package, but at least
> recommend is strict enough to require special intervention with dselect in
> order to install a package without it's recommends. The policy on these
> conditions should be made more clear.

I have clarified the policy in 2.1.0.0 (dpkg 1.3.14), which will be
out later today.

Packages which Recommend non-free or contrib packages must (almost
always) go in contrib.

Ian.

---

From: Ian Jackson <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 1 Sep 96 16:18 BST

Guy Maor writes ("Re: PGP depends."):
> On Wed, 28 Aug 1996, Dale Scheetz wrote:
> 
> > In particular it says that packages that depend on
> > restictions apply).
> I've also been meaning to bring this up, but from another angle.
> Previously, Ian, you've said that packages which depend on a non-free
> package must be put in non-free, hence the current location.
> 
> The reasoning behind this is that a CD would typically have no non-free
> packages.  Selecting mailcrypt would apparently confuse dselect as it
> would not be able to find pgp.
> 
> I just wanted to confirm that dselect would not have problems with
> moving mailcrypt and other such packages into contrib.

No, it wouldn't have any problems.  You'll still find that dselect
complains rather, but it's better to make software available than not,
if we can.

If people don't like that they can deselect all `contrib' packages.

Ian.

---

From: [email-masked] (Owen Dunn)
Date: Sun, 1 Sep 1996 17:24:52 +0100

In article <[email-masked]> you write:
>I bit the bullet today and decided to install and implement pgp. Searching
>the packages files did not turn it up, but I was able to deduce that it
>was therefore, in non-free. However the search turned up this information:
>
>dchanges       -  recommends: pgp

With the new source format obsoleting it, dchanges should be removed
as soon as possible. (In case anyone tries to use it!)

(S)