Chris Gilbert wrote:
> 
> On Saturday 21 April 2001  2:02 pm, Frederick Bruckman wrote:
> > On Sat, 21 Apr 2001, Chris Gilbert wrote:
> > > Optional dependancies will allow the ability to have extra features
> > > turned on if you have that package installed.  Eg kdepim2 would enable
> > > kpilot if you've got misc/pilot-link installed, something that not
> > > everyone would want but some might.  It might also assist in cases of
> > > circular dependancies.
> >
> > How? Please explain.
> 
> How to which part?  Perhaps I'm unusual (a freak :) in that I generally
> compile all my own packages, but I've noted that some packages don't enable
> some options which they could, eg kdepim2 doesn't enable kpilot, probably
> because the person who created that package doesn't have a palm pilot.
> However I do, and I'm sure others do, so I do want kpilot enabled, so the
> choice is do we make everyone install the pilot-link even if they don't need
> it, or allow people to build there own versions which do enable it.

You're right I don't have a palm pilot, but that's not why I did't
enable kpilot. If it didn't get enabled in the normal configuration
phase on my system then I won't have looked at it.

I have thought about the problem you are describing briefly and all I
could end up with was that kdeX2 would get become meta-packages of all
the programs contained within it. This meta-package could be made up of
OPTIONAL_DEPENDS.

Nick
-- 
aka skrll@netbsd.org, skrll@excite.co.uk