Package: debian-ctte
For quite a while we have had a program in moreutils called
/usr/bin/parallel. More recently, we have had a new "parallel"
program which has become a GNU project, and which for compatibility
would like to own /usr/bin/parallel.
The two programs have similar purposes. The GNU one is more
featureful; indeed, nowadays it has an emulation mode, controllable
via an initial command line option and a configuration file, which can
make it compatible with the moreutils one.
#518696 (BCC'd) is the ITP for GNU parallel.
#597050 (BCC'd) is a request to the moreutils maintainer to
remove moreutils's parallel.
The viable answers to the key question would appear to be:
A. /usr/bin/parallel should be GNU parallel.
B. /usr/bin/parallel should be moreutils parallel.
C. The two programs should Conflict.
D. Neither program may use this name.
Everything else will follows from one of these options.
Some might say D is forbidden by Policy and that C is mandated but
this would seem perverse given that the two programs have similar
functionality and invocation - they're not unrelated in intent, even
if they are unrelated in code. Anyway we currently have no process
for enforcing D against a maintainer who simply fails to get around to
doing their part, so would really need a TC decision.
My view is that GNU parallel should win, particularly given that it's
a successful upstream project, being actively developed, and has
various compatibility features to ease the transition. This is no
worse a compatibility problem than when we have switched between
different programs on previous occasions.
I would like to bring this matter to the TC. If the committee agrees
with my preferred outcome, I think the transition would look something
like this:
1. GNU parallel is uploaded with "Replaces: moreutils (<< CURRENT)"
2. moreutils is uploaded with /usr/bin/parallel removed, and
transitionally "Recommends: parallel" added (dependency strength
to be determined by the moreutils maintainer); this may need to
be an NMU.
Ian.
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