[Pkg-scicomp-devel] Bug#469732: Bug#469732: libglpk0: excessive install dependencies

[Larry Doolittle]

Falk -

On Fri, Mar 07, 2008 at 03:02:41PM +0100, Falk Hueffner wrote:
> On Thu, Mar 06, 2008 at 10:39:34PM +0100, Rafael Laboissiere wrote:
> > You are absolutely right.  I will consider producing two independent library
> > packages, one with MathPROG support and the other without.  [chop]
> 
> Just for the record, I don't think this is a good idea. It makes the
> package more complicated, users have to waste time with checking out
> what they need, while 99.99% will not care about 5M of disk space that
> cost about 0.1 cent.

Let's see: a new 500 Gig disk costs about US$100.  5 Meg
is 1e-5 of that, or 0.1 cent.  Your arithmetic checks.

I guess you have never operated an obsolete machine on its
last legs, still doing useful work on last-decades technology,
with its disks at 99% full, where upgrading disks would also
mean upgrading the disk controller, and maybe installing a
new kernel to support that controller.  Cost of each extra
5 Meg is zero, until the cumulative effect forces an upgrade,
which costs both real money and system downtime.

A Debian system where sensible package granularity lets people
install what they need: priceless.

I am an Octave user, and only install libglpk because it is
an Octave dependency.  I haven't yet done any linear programming
within Octave, but it's nice to know that will work if I ever
need it.  Does adding MathPROG to libglpk benefit me in any way?
I honestly don't know, I haven't done the research.

   - Larry