Bug#447202: eclipse-platform: Not start-/usable for normal users

[Kai Wb.]

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Hello Michael,

Michael Koch schrieb:
> Hello Kai,
> 
> 
> On Thu, Oct 18, 2007 at 11:30:22PM +0200, Kai Wb. wrote:
>> Package: eclipse-platform
>> Version: 3.2.1-6
>> Severity: important
>> Justification: Renders package unusable for normal (new/inexperienced) users
> 
> Please report such bugs against the latest version.

I'll keep that in mind for the future.

>> This package is the base-package for several standalone packages like
>> eclipse-cdt. And if you install e.g. eclipse-cdt it's only based on
>> eclipse-platform. But eclipse-platform brings no script/program for running
>> eclipse (nothing is installed to /usr/bin which means a normal user expects to
>> install eclipse-cdt and have a running eclipse-system which is startable via the
>> normal commands (in this case that would be eclipse on the shell or via the
>> preferred GUI (e.g. KDE)).
>>
>> This problem is made worse by the fact that no documentation accompanies this
>> package.
>>
>> This results in four possible approaches (as far as I can see) for resolving
>> this problem:
>> 1) raise eclipse from recommends (this should maybe forwarded to
>> eclipse-cdt/-jdt/-...) to depends or
>> 2) integrate the binaries into eclipse-platform or
>> 3) create eclipse-bin package on which all plugins like CDT depend or
>> 4) state clearly in the package-description of the plugins, that eclipse is
>> required for running them.
>>
>> Again: this is not a problem for experienced users but for people who want to
>> have a start with Debian (today I encountered this problem when helping a friend
>> of mine).
>>
>> If you need further information, feel free to contact me.
> 
> I'm not sure about this. eclipse-platform is just a package to provide
> some core functionality to be used by other packages based on the
> code. The basic idea is that eclipse-cdt and such plugins depend on
> eclipse and not on eclipse-platform. If they want to have their own
> environment they should provide it. Perhaps I'm missing something.

Hm, I see your point. And this was no problem for me, but a friend of mine who
is quite new to Debian installed eclipse-cdt and thought that Debian/dpkg would
solve all dependencies for him. Which is the normal behaviour. But all the
plugins he required depended only on eclipse-platform and the description reads
that it provides the "Eclipse Platform" and it is the "base for all eclipse
plug-ins". Which is easily interpreted as "I have to select eclipse-cdt and get
an eclipse-installation with CDT-support".

Maybe this bug should be redirected to the plug-ins because they depend only on
eclipse-platform. Eventually you could clarify the description of the package,
so everyone sees clearly that he needs eclipse for a running installation.

Greetings,
Kai



- --

Kai Wasserbäch (Kai Wasserbaech)

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