Bug#992475: exim4-base recommends mailx, which often has heavy dependencies

[Daniel Lewart]

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
------------------------------------------------------------------------