Pre-Depends: init-system-helpers

[Steve Langasek]

On Sat, Nov 15, 2014 at 06:06:17PM +0100, Bastien ROUCARIES wrote:
> In order to solve #769551 I need to Pre-Depends: init-system-helpers

> Indeed preinst script need it:
> /var/lib/dpkg/tmp.ci/preinst: 27: /var/lib/dpkg/tmp.ci/preinst:
> deb-systemd-helper: not found

> Thus I am asking to add a pre-depends to init-system-helpers

I am very concerned about the promulgation of init-system-helpers in
general.  This helper package has started pulling bloated dependencies into
our base system (bug #757891), and is not documented in policy at all, nor
have I seen any public discussion in the appropriate places (namely,
debian-devel) about why these new interfaces were needed instead of fitting
this into the existing dh_installinit/invoke-rc.d interface.

I think a wider discussion is needed, both to make sure the design of such a
core component has gotten appropriate review, and to inform the wider
project about why it's necessary.

Can someone of the systemd maintainers please explain why this is being done
as a separate helper instead of integrating with the tools that are already
defined in policy and already part of the base system (e.g., invoke-rc.d)?

Anthony Towns has just posted a draft init policy to debian-policy:

  https://github.com/ajtowns/debian-init-policy

While this policy mentions deb-systemd-helper, there's no explanation of
when or why it should be used.

Thanks,
-- 
Steve Langasek                   Give me a lever long enough and a Free OS
Debian Developer                   to set it on, and I can move the world.
Ubuntu Developer                                    http://www.debian.org/
slangasek at ubuntu.com                                     vorlon at debian.org
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