Package: kcontrol
Version: various
Severity: normal
This is a semi-automated bug report based on scanning the contents of
binary .deb files in the unstable Debian archive.
The kcontrol packages seem to contain a very large amount of
architecture-independent data in architecture-dependent packages,
specifically data installed under /usr/share. This is wasteful of
mirror space and bandwidth, as we then end up with multiple copies of
this data, one for each architecture. Initial estimates suggest that
several gigabytes of Debian archive space may currently be wasted
because of packages like this.
The way to fix this depends on the layout of your package:
* Some packages need to have a -common or -doc package split out to
contain this common data, and the existing packages that need this
data should then be altered to depend on the new -common or -doc
package.
* This package may already be such a -common or -doc package, in
which case it probably should already be marked as Architecture:
all in your debian/control file rather than Architecture: any .
* Maybe the files under /usr/share do not belong there - several
packages seem to contain data in /usr/share that is definitely
architecture-dependent. In this case, please move the files into
the right place.
Policy is quite clear on this point:
http://www.debian.org/doc/developers-reference/ch-best-pkging-practices#s-bpp-archindepdata
The usage of these packages is currently:
debsize pkgsize /usr/share % filename
6041716 13804 6432 46 pool/main/k/kdebase/kcontrol_3.1.3-1_s390.deb
6197526 15548 6420 41 pool/main/k/kdebase/kcontrol_3.1.5-2_alpha.deb
5797588 12344 6420 52 pool/main/k/kdebase/kcontrol_3.1.5-2_arm.deb
6249130 14076 6420 45 pool/main/k/kdebase/kcontrol_3.1.5-2_hppa.deb
5973882 12828 6420 50 pool/main/k/kdebase/kcontrol_3.1.5-2_i386.deb
6574828 18436 6420 34 pool/main/k/kdebase/kcontrol_3.1.5-2_ia64.deb
6007304 12828 6420 50 pool/main/k/kdebase/kcontrol_3.1.5-2_m68k.deb
5689996 14564 6420 44 pool/main/k/kdebase/kcontrol_3.1.5-2_mips.deb
5669332 14576 6420 44 pool/main/k/kdebase/kcontrol_3.1.5-2_mipsel.deb
5922942 12924 6420 49 pool/main/k/kdebase/kcontrol_3.1.5-2_powerpc.deb
5881982 13024 6420 49 pool/main/k/kdebase/kcontrol_3.1.5-2_sparc.deb
Please split this package appropriately. If you believe your package
is already split reasonably, then sorry for bothering you. If you wish
to discuss this further, please feel free to reply to this bug. If you
agree that there's a problem here but need help to fix it: again, feel
free to ask...
Thanks,
--
Steve McIntyre, Cambridge, UK. [EMAIL PROTECTED]
