Bug#504514: [Debian] clisp-dev dependencies (was Re: debian clisp package)

[Luca Capello]

block 504514 by 177057
thanks

Hi Sam!

On Tue, 04 Nov 2008 18:49:52 +0100, Sam Steingold wrote:
>>> 3. clisp-dev appears to depend on gcc 4.1 (at least when I try to
>>> install clisp-dev on ubuntu, it wants to install gcc 4.1 in addition
>>> to the standard gcc 4.2, see
>>> https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/274824).
>>
>> It seems that the version you tried is an old one, since the one in
>> Debian does not depend on any gcc version (both clisp and clisp-dev
>> packages), at least from version 1:2.43-1.
>>
>>> this is eminently wrong. even if clisp itself is compiled with gcc
>>> 4.1, it can link with modules compiled with gcc 4.2, so there is no
>>> reason for clisp-dev to pull gcc 4.1 (the same for bison, xutils,
>>> groff &c &c).
>>
>> This could be a problem for Debian: if we build clisp with a specific
>> gcc version, then we should depend on that version, since different gcc
>> versions can be installed at the same time.
>
> http://packages.debian.org/sid/clisp-dev
> Package: clisp-dev (1:2.44.1-4.1 and others)
>
> it depends on a whole lot of stuff.

Thank you for having submitted it to the Debian BTS as bug #504514 [1],
I really appreciate.

I cc:ed the Debian bug: since this is a Debian-specific problem, the
discussion should continue there.  If you prefer to keep the clisp-devel
mailing list informed (which I think it is worth it), please always cc:
the Debian bug as well (no subscription required).

> the __ONLY__ true dependencies are clisp & a C compiler (not
> necessarily gcc).

Thanks to `apt-cache showpkg c-compiler` I discovered that the only
other C compiler Debian ships is bcc [2], which I do not think it can be
used with clisp.

I will anyway add the c-compiler virtual package to the clisp-dev
Depends:.  However, if someone use a C compiler not shipped by Debian,
it should create a fake package providing c-compiler to satifsy the
dependency.

I am sorry this is the only possible solution: as you wrote, a C
compiler is a true dependency.

> the rest is FAKE.

Even libc6-dev?

> clisp-dev does NOT require bison/debhelper/groff/gettext/xutils.

I need to investigate why these were put there, but at least debhelper
sounds strange.  For the others, read below.

> You might think that libffcall1-dev & libsigsegv-dev might be
> required, but they are NOT, they are already pre-linked (statically)
> into lisp.a.

According to Debian bug #468090 [3], libffcall1 is not statically
pre-linked into lisp.a, but I have never tested for this.

If both are statically pre-linked into lisp.a, while I agree that the
depedencies are useless, makevars still wants to include them.

> readline-dev x11-dev et al are required only for building images on
> top of the full linking set, not on top of the base linking set, so
> they are at most "strongly recommended".

The problem is double:

1) ATM Debian does not ship two clisp linking sets, despite a wishlist
   bug is openend for more than 5 years now [4] (with another one being
   very similar [5]).  I already planned to solve this issue splitting
   the Debian clisp package into clisp-base and clisp-full, but I have
   not had time yet :-(

2) makevars wants to include all of the libraries listed in clisp-dev
   Depends:, that is why these libraries are, in the Debian world,
   required.

The solution can be double as well:

a) as soon as the clisp package is splitted into clisp-base and
   clisp-full, then clisp-dev would depend on clisp-base, which means
   not accessory libraries in makevars

b) moving all accessory libraries into Recommends:, with a big note in
   the README.Debian which explains the reason for this, pointing at
   this bug as well.

The former solution is my preferred, since it is cleaner and more
logical [6], but the latter is simpler to implement.

Thx, bye,
Gismo / Luca

Footnotes: 
[1] http://bugs.debian.org/504514
[2] http://packages.debian.org/sid/bcc
[3] http://bugs.debian.org/468090
[4] http://bugs.debian.org/177057
[5] http://bugs.debian.org/462085
[6] that is this bug is blocked by bug #177057 [3]
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