Source: exim4 Version: 4.94.2-7 Severity: normal Tags: patch Exim4 Maintainers,
Installing exim4-base often results in a boatload of unnecessary packages being installed. This is because exim4-base recommends virtual package mailx, which mailutils (and its heavy dependencies) provides. The solution is to recommend "bsd-mailx | mailx" instead. Here are two similar bug reports: #677944 - bsd-mailx: should be a high-priority candidate to provide the 'mailx' virtual package https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=677944#28 #849743 - logrotate: Please specify a default mailx provider https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=849743 Below are the following: 1) *untested* patch for debian/control 2) "apt install exim4-base" debug output 3) "apt install bsd-mailx exim4-base" debug output Thank you! Daniel Lewart Urbana, Illinois ------------------------------------------------------------------------ --- debian/control.orig 2021-07-13 11:12:50.000000000 -0500 +++ debian/control 2021-08-18 00:00:00.000000000 -0500 @@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ ${misc:Depends}, ${shlibs:Depends} # psmisc just for exiwhat. -Recommends: mailx, psmisc +Recommends: bsd-mailx | mailx, psmisc Suggests: exim4-doc-html | exim4-doc-info, eximon4, ------------------------------------------------------------------------ $ apt -s -o Debug::pkgDepCache::AutoInstall=1 install exim4-base > /dev/null Installing exim4-config:amd64 as Depends of exim4-base:amd64 Installing mailutils:amd64 as Recommends of exim4-base:amd64 Installing mailutils-common:amd64 as Depends of mailutils:amd64 Installing libfribidi0:amd64 as Depends of mailutils:amd64 Installing libgsasl7:amd64 as Depends of mailutils:amd64 Installing gsasl-common:amd64 as Depends of libgsasl7:amd64 Installing libidn11:amd64 as Depends of libgsasl7:amd64 Installing libntlm0:amd64 as Depends of libgsasl7:amd64 Installing libmailutils7:amd64 as Depends of mailutils:amd64 Installing guile-2.2-libs:amd64 as Depends of libmailutils7:amd64 Installing libgc1:amd64 as Depends of guile-2.2-libs:amd64 Installing libltdl7:amd64 as Depends of guile-2.2-libs:amd64 Installing libmariadb3:amd64 as Depends of libmailutils7:amd64 Installing mariadb-common:amd64 as Depends of libmariadb3:amd64 Installing mysql-common:amd64 as Depends of mariadb-common:amd64 Installing libpython3.9:amd64 as Depends of libmailutils7:amd64 Installing exim4-daemon-light:amd64 as Recommends of mailutils:amd64 Installing libgnutls-dane0:amd64 as Depends of exim4-daemon-light:amd64 Installing libunbound8:amd64 as Depends of libgnutls-dane0:amd64 Installing libevent-2.1-7:amd64 as Depends of libunbound8:amd64 Installing psmisc:amd64 as Recommends of exim4-base:amd64 ------------------------------------------------------------------------ $ apt -s -o Debug::pkgDepCache::AutoInstall=1 install bsd-mailx exim4-base > /dev/null Installing exim4-daemon-light:amd64 as Depends of bsd-mailx:amd64 Installing libgnutls-dane0:amd64 as Depends of exim4-daemon-light:amd64 Installing libunbound8:amd64 as Depends of libgnutls-dane0:amd64 Installing libevent-2.1-7:amd64 as Depends of libunbound8:amd64 Installing libidn11:amd64 as Depends of exim4-daemon-light:amd64 Installing liblockfile1:amd64 as Depends of bsd-mailx:amd64 Installing exim4-config:amd64 as Depends of exim4-base:amd64 Installing psmisc:amd64 as Recommends of exim4-base:amd64 ------------------------------------------------------------------------