[Fink-devel] FAQ & packaging reference: Suggests vs Recommends vs Enhances?

[Carsten Klapp]

Hi All,

Here are some more questions and answers I'd like to see added to Fink FAQ and Packaging Reference.

Q1: As a package maintainer the purpose of the "Depends" field is fairly obvious to me, but what are the distinctions between the "Recommends", "Suggests" and "Enhances" fields? (Please give example packages which use each).

Q2: What about alternate varations of a package, how should attention be brought to these for suggestion/recommendation? (...if indeed possible with the current dpkg.)
For example, emacs vs. emacs-nox, or p0f vs. p0f-mysql? Put it in the suggests field or just make a note in the description or usage?

A1: (incomplete answer, please correct & contribute. Based on info found at <http://www.stllinux.org/meeting_notes/1999/0415/techthings.html>.)

Levels of dependency in .deb files:

- Depends: This package require the other listed package(s)
example: emacs20-20.7-6
Depends: emacsen-common, x11

- Recommends: This package does not require the recommended packages, but the listed packages will enhance this one.??
example:
Recommends:

- Suggests: The packages listed in Suggests are not required but may be useful with this package.
example: zip-2.3-1
Suggests: unzip (current zip's info actually says "Recommends", should this be "Suggests"?)
example: unzip-5.50-1
Suggests: zip
example: gzip-1.2.4a-6
Suggests: tar
(currently it does not suggest tar, but maybe it should. This is a trivial suggestion for most experienced users, and tar is part of the base package too, but it would serve as an example and reminder for people writing other more complicated packages as well as help "newbies" learn gzip is most often used with tar.)

- Enhances: This packages is an additional/optional plugin or module for the listed pacakges.??
This package definately does nothing on it's own (maybe?), but enhances the listed packages.??
(Implies "Depends" or should Depends be added too???)
example: aspell-de-0.50-1
Enhances: aspell-0.50.2-1
example: aspell-0.50.2-1
Recommends: aspell-en aspell-de aspell-fr aspell-nl aspell-es

I notice the aspell packages currently use Suggests and Depends instead of Enhances and Recommends. What is the correct approach (or perhaps merely more concise?)?


Am I "way out to lunch" on these examples and assumptions? It all seems confusing to me, but I realize this is part of the dpkg heritage and not just a fink issue. (Don't get me wrong--I prefer dpkg to rpm.)

Thank you,

Carsten



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