On 09.03.2013 18:26, Michael Hanke wrote: > Hi, > > I see the problem, but I am not convinced this change is the solution. > Installing this package is pointless without Matlab, it should not be > pulled in as a dependency unless > a package gets installed that requires matlab. > > If we make this package install successfully on a system without Matlab, > we need to > make any dependent package handle the situation of a missing matlab > itself -- potentially multiplying the effort. At the moment, any package > that depends on matlab-support can expect a functional matlab > installation to be present at config time.
A problem with failing the installation if matlab is missing is that it prevents migration from Ubuntus proposed repository to the main one. Migration requires that it installs and does also not make other packages uninstallable. E.g. this right now affects dynare, it can't migrate because it depends on matlab-support which does not install. I though that the debian unstable -> testing works the same way, but apparently not as e.g. dynare was allowed to go into testing. We can change the failing in Ubuntu only if you don't want to change Debian. > > To me the actual question is, why do people try to install this package > when they do not have matlab? Consequently I see two approaches: > > 1) Improve the package description to avoid this kind of installations. > The main reason for that is probably that the desktop file says it is matlab. The desktop file is used in the (ubuntu) software center to display the title of the application, not the package short description. Most novice users install over the software center in Ubuntu, see matlab and install it without reading the rest of the description. Software center is also in Debian, but I don't know if it has the same behavior. -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-bugs-dist-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
