Bug#233413: Inefficient packaging of arch independent data in package metacity

[Steve McIntyre]

Package: metacity
Version: 1:2.6.3-2
Severity: normal

This is a semi-automated bug report based on scanning the contents of
binary .deb files in the unstable Debian archive.

The metacity 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
 1435618   6440        4964 77 pool/main/m/metacity/metacity_2.6.3-2_alpha.deb
 1364506   6184        4964 80 pool/main/m/metacity/metacity_2.6.3-2_arm.deb
 1396132   6256        4964 79 pool/main/m/metacity/metacity_2.6.3-2_hppa.deb
 1378396   6236        4964 79 pool/main/m/metacity/metacity_2.6.3-2_i386.deb
 1493860   6732        4964 73 pool/main/m/metacity/metacity_2.6.3-2_ia64.deb
 1347012   6148        4964 80 pool/main/m/metacity/metacity_2.6.3-2_m68k.deb
 1388118   6496        4964 76 pool/main/m/metacity/metacity_2.6.3-2_mips.deb
 1387270   6492        4964 76 pool/main/m/metacity/metacity_2.6.3-2_mipsel.deb
 1382702   6252        4964 79 pool/main/m/metacity/metacity_2.6.3-2_powerpc.deb
 1388064   6280        4964 79 pool/main/m/metacity/metacity_2.6.3-2_s390.deb
 1363620   6200        4964 80 pool/main/m/metacity/metacity_2.6.3-2_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.                                steve@einval.com