[Rpm-metadata] Debian metadata (was Re: format misc)

[Joe Shaw]

On Tue, 2003-10-07 at 17:07, Darrin Thompson wrote:
> You'd have to think carefully about how you structure it. This probably 
> wouldn't work:
> 
> <depends>
>    <deb:orentry>
>      <entry name="blah"/>
>      <entry name="second-alternative"/>
>    <deb:orentry>
> </depends>
> 
> If a client who doesn't understand the debian namespace ignores orentry 
> then they either have two entries or none at all. It depends on how you 
> define "ignore".

Does it really matter though?  When it all boils down, you need to know
which packaging system to use to install a package.  If you're using RPM
and looking at debian package metadata, it's ultimately going to be
pointless when you try to "rpm -Uvh foo.deb" :)

With Red Carpet we just allow or-entry dependencies, and our dependency
resolver will happily resolve them.  But since RPM doesn't support them,
they never make it into the metadata for RPM systems and the issue never
comes up.

Unless the goal is to ultimately be able to install debs on an RPM
system and vice versa, I don't see the harm in adding things which are
available to one packaging system (or-entry deps primarily, but also
maybe "suggest", "recommends", etc.) when they won't ever occur with
others.

Joe