[maemo-developers] Optional build dependencies (e.g. for fremantle)

[From: Aniello Del Sorbo]

2009/3/17 Guillem Jover <guillem.jover at nokia.com>:
> On Tue, 2009-03-17 at 13:38:39 +0100, ext Till Harbaum / Lists wrote:
>> i am currently trying to prepare the osm2go package to build for
>> fremantle. I've fixed most things, but one thing still lacks: How do
>> i specify "would like to have" build dependencies?
>
> The short answer is that you don't.
>
>> E.g. i'd like to rely on table-browser-interface-dev. But this isn't
>> there yet for fremantle. So if i have it in the build-depends line in
>> the control file the fremantle build breaks. If i don't put it there it
>> won't be installed in any autobuild process, hence it won't be used
>> in chinook/diablo autobuild.
>>
>> How do i specifiy a package that i'd like to use during buikd but that
>> i can cope with if it's not there (yet)?
>
> Oportunistic Build-Depends are bad because they make your build not
> reproducible, as it can change depending on the system it got built
> in. The point is that anything not listed on the Build-Depends is not
> guaranteed to be present (even on a fremantle build daemon).
>
> I guess in your case, you'll have to branch the packaging for
> chinook/diablo and fremantle.
>

Or you can depend on all of them and provide placeholder packages on
the distribution that
does not have them, so to make the dependency checker happy.

How does that sound?
Just threw in the idea, it may be bad, it may be good.

-- 
anidel