Re: -all driver packages

[Didier 'OdyX' Raboud]

Le lundi, 12 juin 2017, 23.26:01 h CEST Rebecca N. Palmer a écrit :
> However, those involve Depends relationships (where an -all package is 
> needed to allow the option of only installing one) and/or multiple 
> depending/recommending packages and a changing set of providers (making 
> it desirable to be able to make such changes in one central place). 
> Hence, I agree that it wouldn't be worth it for *-microcode.

The printer-driver-all package uses Recommends, but its source package also 
builds the printer-driver-all-enforce alternative package that has the same 
relations but as Depends. As britney only checks for Depends when verifying 
migration requirements, this setup makes sure that the printer-driver-all 
package only ever migrates if all its Recommends are satisfied. the -enforce 
alternative is not meant to be used by end-users.

-- 
OdyX

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-all driver packages

[Rebecca N. Palmer]

Anthony DeRobertis wrote:

The only thing
I've seen is

Recommends: cpu-microcode-all | cpu-microcode

and having a cpu-microcode-all package that Depends on both, and having
the two real package Provides cpu-microcode. If I remember correctly,
Xorg did this at one point for video drivers (maybe still does).


It does (xserver-xorg-video-all, xserver-xorg-input-all); there's also 
va-driver-all, vdpau-driver-all (two video-acceleration interfaces) and 
printer-driver-all.  We are considering introducing opencl-icd-all.


However, those involve Depends relationships (where an -all package is 
needed to allow the option of only installing one) and/or multiple 
depending/recommending packages and a changing set of providers (making 
it desirable to be able to make such changes in one central place). 
Hence, I agree that it wouldn't be worth it for *-microcode.


There's also the AppStream modalias mechanism, which can actually pick 
the right one for the current hardware, but the tools that process it 
aren't always installed:


https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce/2016/11/msg8.html
https://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2017/03/msg00165.html