Bug#790524: src:gmt: takes over files from several unrelated packages (was: Re: gmt: libgenome-perl in sid already provides /usr/bin/gmt)

[Andreas Tille]

Hi Axel,

On Sun, Jul 05, 2015 at 04:03:31AM +0200, Axel Beckert wrote:
> 
> > [1] https://anonscm.debian.org/cgit/pkg-perl/packages/libgenome-perl.git/commit/?id=205ec3992bde59d9f59870218e68cf9964d60a1a 
> 
> There's one thing in this commit which I consider quite ugly and
> unnecessary: A man page being under
> /usr/lib/debian-med/share/man/man1/gmt.1.gz and then only symlinked to
> /usr/share/man/man1/genome-model-tools.1.gz.
> 
> IMHO that's for two reasons: /usr/lib/debian-med/bin/gmt doesn't need
> a man page from a policy point of view, only
> /usr/bin/genome-model-tools does. And then there is a never to be
> found man page under /usr/lib. (A man page under /usr/lib? Come on!
> That's an FHS violation. Or rather was until Debian weakend it for the
> systemd guys.)

Hmmm, from an FHS point of view you are correct.  However, the manpage
is currently found since not only PATH but also MANPATH is prepended so
a user will find the according manpage to the first gmt in the PATH.
 
> So rather than moving the man page from /usr/share/man/man1/gmt.1.gz
> to /usr/lib/debian-med/share/man/man1/gmt.1.gz and then symlinking
> that to /usr/share/man/man1/genome-model-tools.1.gz, I'd just rename
> /usr/share/man/man1/gmt.1.gz to
> /usr/share/man/man1/genome-model-tools.1.gz -- Everything else is IMHO
> unnecessary complexity with horribly non-standard paths.

I agree with the FHS argument.  But if I do not provide a manpage fitting
gmt - the one in /usr/lib/debian-med/bin - a user who calls

    man gmt

might under the less probable but possible case the manpage provided by
the gmt package.  What's your suggestion to solve this?  Just using
a better FHS location?
 
> And you would also spare the explicit gzip call and one of the lines
> in debian/dirs.
> 
> Additionally there seems trailing whitespace in debian/links, but the
> affected line will be gone anyways if the above is fixed as suggested.

Fixed for the moment - we'll see how this file will be dealt with.
 
> Further there is a change in debian/control which is not mentioned in
> the changelog entry nor seems to be related to the rest of the commit:
> A line "Recommends: med-config (>= 2.1)" has been added. Please add at
> least an according changelog entry for that or remove it again (if it
> was committed accidentially).

It is one part of the change since it supports the PATH change in the
simple way but I now mentioned it explicitly.

Kind regards

      Andreas.

-- 
http://fam-tille.de