Clarify dependency relationships between build, build-{arch,indep}

* Clarify that only one of build-arch or build-indep may be provided
  (currently, at least) and that build should depend on whichever exist
  or perform the equivalent actions.  Thanks to Jonathan Nieder for some
  of the wording.  (Closes: #601839)

diff --git a/debian/changelog b/debian/changelog
index b81d85b1a22f461725a50d87897c6a969cc4953f..a82cf5c517e55ea2ce8ebb64976bf218a40dca54 100644 (file)
--- a/debian/changelog
+++ b/debian/changelog
@@ -13,6 +13,10 @@ debian-policy (3.9.3.1) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
     of files and directories follow the FHS.  (Closes: #638060)
   * Clarify the syntax of field names to make it clear that they may not
     contain spaces.  Thanks, Charles Plessy.  (Closes: #647645)
+  * Clarify that only one of build-arch or build-indep may be provided
+    (currently, at least) and that build should depend on whichever exist
+    or perform the equivalent actions.  Thanks to Jonathan Nieder for some
+    of the wording.  (Closes: #601839)
   * Install the HTML version of upgrading-checklist in the policy.html
     directory as upgrading-checklist.html so that it can be deployed on
     www.debian.org in a way that will allow links to Policy sections to

diff --git a/policy.sgml b/policy.sgml
index 465a1293b8b03dfe74e046d8dcb74c0af3ef2292..2c0c72ad77ed5ebf6b49cded4c26a9ce024b574b 100644 (file)
--- a/policy.sgml
+++ b/policy.sgml
@@ -1951,7 +1951,7 @@
            </tag>
            <item>
              <p>
-               A package may also provide both of the targets
+               A package may also provide one or both of the targets
                <tt>build-arch</tt> and <tt>build-indep</tt>.
                The <tt>build-arch</tt> target, if provided, should
                perform all the configuration and compilation required for
@@ -1964,9 +1964,13 @@
                architecture-independent binary packages (those packages
                for which the body of the <tt>Architecture</tt> field
                in <tt>debian/control</tt> is <tt>all</tt>).
-               The <tt>build</tt> target should depend on those of the
-               targets <tt>build-arch</tt> and <tt>build-indep</tt> that
-               are provided in the rules file.<footnote>
+             </p>
+
+             <p>
+               If <tt>build-arch</tt> or <tt>build-indep</tt> targets are
+               provided in the rules file, the <tt>build</tt> target
+               should either depend on those targets or take the same
+               actions as invoking those targets would perform.<footnote>
                  The intent of this split is so that binary-only builds
                  need not install the dependencies required for
                  the <tt>build-indep</tt> target.  However, this is not