[debian-mysql] Bug#732878: Add MariaDB as an alternative dependency

[Otto Kekäläinen]

Hello,

2013/12/25 Thomas Goirand <zigo at debian.org>:
> Don't you think it would be more reasonable if the mariadb-client
> contained a Provides: mysql-client, rather than changing each and every
> software dependency in Debian?
>
> Adding debian-devel@, as I think it should be discussed more broadly.


We discussed this on the pkg-maint-mysql list and the recommended policy is now:

All packages that at the moment depend directly on mysql-client should
instead have something like:

Depends: the-one-they-tested-with | virtual-mysql-client
(or Suggests or Recommends)

At the moment in unstable the packages mysql-server-5.5 and
mariadb-server-5.5 have
Provides: mysql-virtual-server

and mysql-client-5-5 and mariadb-client-5.5 have
Provides: mysql-virtual-client

Later when other versions are uploaded to Debian (e.g. MySQL 5.6,
MariaDB 10, Percona etc) they will include the same provides as long
as they are compatible enough with MySQL 5.5 to be
drop-in-replacements.

Does this sound OK?