Hello Christian, On Thu, 2026-01-08 at 07:57 +0000, [email protected] wrote: > Am 07.01.2026 22:53 schrieb Adam Schmalhofer: > > I agree that backintime should not depend on a gnome-specific > > package. > > Having a virtual package would fix that. Adding the virtual package > > to > > the other (including KDE) freedesktop compliant icon themes are > > changes > > to > > less than 26 packages[1]. > > I am asking just for my learning. I don't understand that solution. > > There will be a virtual package (e.g. "standard-icons") with the > meaning > that > having that installed all free desktop org naming specs icon are > available, no > matter which theme is installed?
Yes. Though, virtual packages are never installed themselves. Instead, a
package which declares that it provides the virtual package is installed.
Here is a description of virtual packages from the debian faq[1]:
| 7.8. What is a Virtual Package?
|
| A virtual package is a generic name that applies to any one of a
| group of packages, all of which provide similar basic functionality.
| For example, both the konqueror and firefox-esr programs are web
| browsers, and should therefore satisfy any dependency of a program that
| requires a web browser on a system, in order to work or to be useful.
| They are therefore both said to provide the "virtual package" called
| www-browser.
|
| Similarly, exim4 and sendmail both provide the functionality of a
| mail transport agent. They are therefore said to provide the virtual
| package "mail-transport-agent". If either one is installed, then any
| program depending on the installation of a mail-transport-agent will be
| satisfied by the presence of this virtual package.
> So backintime-qt would depend on that?
Yes.
> And the specific task-XYZdesktop-install packages would somehow
> define
> which specific theme to install to fullfill the virutal package?
Yes. The chain would look like this:
task-kde-desktop
Depends: kde-standard
Depends: kde-plasma-desktop
Depends: plasma-desktop
Depends: breeze
Depends: breeze-icon-theme
Depends: kf6-breeze-icon-theme
(new!) Provides:
standard-icons
> Sounds like a technical solution.
>
> Why not something more political,
Actually, the technical part to make this change isn't much work
as virtual packages are known and tested. The work is >90% on the
political side.
> no matter that it would take some
> more
> time.
> Adding a policy rule that all desktops need to provide the standard
> icons.
I agree that the policy solution would take longer. It would also not
prevent backintime-qt from being started without the icons in many
cases. I don't see any advantages of the policy solution. Are there
any?
Regards,
Adaschma
[1] Don't get confused from the following paragraph, I didn't quote. That part
isn't relevant here.
https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-faq/pkg-basics.en.html#virtual
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