Bug#358237: make-jpkg should create two .deb files instead of one

[Daniel Gimpelevich]

Package: java-package
Version: 0.27
Severity: wishlist

Java is intended to be architecture-independent. This architecture 
independence is achieved through architecture-dependent JREs and JDKs. 
However, much of the contents of JRE and JDK packages created by 
make-jpkg are architecture-independent. I believe that putting all the 
contents of a tarball (or other downloaded file) into an indivisible 
blob of a .deb file is not an optimal way to package non-free JREs and 
JDKs for Debian or Ubuntu. The architecture-dependent bits and the 
architecture-independent bits should go into separate packages. 
Packages of the GNU Java implementation already have such a 
modularization. GCJ largely represents the architecture-independent 
bits of that implementation, and GIJ the architecture-dependent ones. 
AFAIK, GIJ is fully compatible with the architecture-dependent bits of 
Sun JREs and JDKs as a drop-in replacement for them, but GCJ will not 
be compatible as a drop-in replacement for their 
architecture-independent bits for the foreseeable future. If someone 
downloaded a Sun JRE or JDK and used make-jpkg to create two packages 
from it (for purposes of this discussion, let's call them sun_i386 and 
sun_all), they would be able to install GIJ and sun_all, thus creating 
a hybrid environment from the aggregation of free and non-free 
software. I believe this would lead to the more widespread adoption of 
GIJ, especially on architectures Sun does not support, and as a result, 
PowerPC users would have another alternative to IBM's 
less-than-reasonable licensing terms, ARM users would not be limited to 
a 1.3.1 JRE or JDK if they wanted Sun compatibility, and other people 
would benefit in other similar ways. In turn, the greater proliferation 
of GIJ should generate greater interest in GCJ. I would be very 
interested in any arguments against making java-package enable this to 
happen. Thank you.
-- 
"Consider that two wrongs never make a right, but that three do."
                                                       --National Lampoon