Package: csmash Version: 0.6.6-2 Severity: normal This is a semi-automated bug report based on scanning the contents of binary .deb files in the unstable Debian archive.
The csmash packages seem to contain a very large amount of architecture-independent data in architecture-dependent packages, specifically data installed under /usr/share. This is wasteful of mirror space and bandwidth, as we then end up with multiple copies of this data, one for each architecture. Initial estimates suggest that several gigabytes of Debian archive space may currently be wasted because of packages like this. The way to fix this depends on the layout of your package: * Some packages need to have a -common or -doc package split out to contain this common data, and the existing packages that need this data should then be altered to depend on the new -common or -doc package. * This package may already be such a -common or -doc package, in which case it probably should already be marked as Architecture: all in your debian/control file rather than Architecture: any . * Maybe the files under /usr/share do not belong there - several packages seem to contain data in /usr/share that is definitely architecture-dependent. In this case, please move the files into the right place. Policy is quite clear on this point: http://www.debian.org/doc/developers-reference/ch-best-pkging-practices#s-bpp-archindepdata The usage of these packages is currently: debsize pkgsize /usr/share % filename 1892556 10000 9112 91 pool/main/c/csmash/csmash_0.6.6-2_alpha.deb 1860444 9796 9112 93 pool/main/c/csmash/csmash_0.6.6-2_arm.deb 1892658 10000 9112 91 pool/main/c/csmash/csmash_0.6.6-2_hppa.deb 1915012 9704 9112 93 pool/main/c/csmash/csmash_0.6.6-2_i386.deb 1949094 10728 9112 84 pool/main/c/csmash/csmash_0.6.6-2_ia64.deb 1838388 9684 9112 94 pool/main/c/csmash/csmash_0.6.6-2_m68k.deb 1870716 10224 9112 89 pool/main/c/csmash/csmash_0.6.6-2_mips.deb 1866918 10224 9112 89 pool/main/c/csmash/csmash_0.6.6-2_mipsel.deb 1858524 9848 9112 92 pool/main/c/csmash/csmash_0.6.6-2_powerpc.deb 1850160 9828 9112 92 pool/main/c/csmash/csmash_0.6.6-2_s390.deb 1859054 9924 9112 91 pool/main/c/csmash/csmash_0.6.6-2_sparc.deb Please split this package appropriately. If you believe your package is already split reasonably, then sorry for bothering you. If you wish to discuss this further, please feel free to reply to this bug. If you agree that there's a problem here but need help to fix it: again, feel free to ask... Thanks, -- Steve McIntyre, Cambridge, UK. [EMAIL PROTECTED]