Bug#813041: icedtea-netx should not depend on default-jre

[Marco Gamberoni]

In data sabato 23 novembre 2019 19:36:03 CET, hai scritto:
> 
> Hello Marco,
> 
> I agree about the hard dependency on default-jre.  
Hello Tony,
no, I did not say so: my wish is icedtea-netx depend on _provided_ java-runtime.

> That's the reason
> that the javaX-runtime virtual dependencies were created.  However, I'm
> not sure about creating a new java-runtime dependency, since I think
> that we're going to continue to have situations where we have to
> differentiate between JRE runtimes.
> 
Icedtea-netx is a program written in java, so it depends on a java runtime to
run. Its job is to download a java application described by a jnlp file that also
declares some JRE version under which the downloaded app wants to run.
While icedtea-netx must be compatible with any JRE, or it is its own bug, the
downloaded app JRE requirement is out of Debian packaging control, is
written in the jnlp file, and is icedtea-netx (javaws) business.
So the ipotetical need to differentiate between JRE runtimes in the dependency
list of icedtea-netx would be a bug in icedtea-netx.

> Since the default-jre going back to oldstable provides java8-runtime,
> would it be okay to have icedtea-web depend on java8-runtime, which can
Would work, but is less clean: the virtual package java8-runtime would 
be recycled to convey the semantics of java-runtime (="any JRE"), just because
currently (afaict) all available JRE packages provide java8-runtime; while, otoh,
openjdk-8-jre does not provide java-runtime. But it should, shouldn't it?
It seems to me, this is a packaging bug in openjdk-8-jre.

> be satisfied by default-jre for stretch and anything later?  This should
It is not default-jre's duty to provide java8-runtime, it is up to the JRE package
that is installed because default-jre depends on it.
I would argue that default-jre should not have a "Provides:" field at all.

> simplify your use case and continue to work until there is a default-jre
> that is for some reason unable to run older byte code.

> 
> Cheers,
> tony
> 

My facts:
 - default-jre is a REAL PACKAGE, which pulls in the current version of a JRE.
 - java-runtime and java8-runtime and java[0-9]+-runtime are virtual packages
 - icedtea-netx runs with openjdk-8-jre and openjdk-11-jre. Due to its role, it
   has to run with any JRE, or it is a bug.

My problem: install just any single JRE package _and_ icedtea-netx, nothing
else. No default-jre and none of its dependencies wanted.
My understanding of packaging logic is that to make this possible:
  - icedtea-netx should depend on java-runtime.
  - any package that installs a JRE should provide java-runtime

Also, as Java Web Start technology has been deprecated by Oracle after Java 8,
and support has been picked up as an open source project:
    https://openwebstart.com/
which is endorsed by icedtea-netx upstream
   https://github.com/AdoptOpenJDK/IcedTea-Web
placing in default-jre a "suggest" to icedtea-netx seems a good thing. 
Following the changes in the upstream of the free implementation of Java Web
Start technology has been difficult. A suggest (perhaps also a recommend) is
good service to users.

Thanks for listening,

-- 
Marco Gamberoni

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