Python headers not a dependency for Cython?

[Shriramana Sharma]

I'm using Kubuntu Raring and surprisingly the cython and cython3
packages don't seem to depend on the python-dev and python3-dev
packages -- they only "suggest" them (green bullets):

http://packages.ubuntu.com/raring/cython
http://packages.ubuntu.com/raring/cython3

Likewise they don't depend on gcc, but then again there are other C compilers.

IIUC python-dev and python3-dev should be dependencies since it is not
possible to compile Cython files without the Python headers. if this
is correct, then I'll file a Debian packaging bug.

--
Shriramana Sharma ஶ்ரீரமணஶர்மா श्रीरमणशर्मा

[Robert Bradshaw]

Certainly you can create the .c files without python-dev, but that's
not super useful by itself so making it an actual dependency might be
the right thing to do here.

- Robert

[Shriramana Sharma]

On Thu, May 9, 2013 at 9:35 PM, Robert Bradshaw <robe...@gmail.com> wrote:
> Certainly you can create the .c files without python-dev, but that's
> not super useful by itself so making it an actual dependency might be
> the right thing to do here.

This is a strange situation. So it would mean that Cython *can* be
used without python-dev. But it is not *useful* without python-dev.
I'll have to let the Debian people take the call. At least
"recommends" rather than "suggests" would be meaningful. (On my
Kubuntu system, recommended packages are automatically installed like
dependencies -- Apt provides for that.)

[Stefan Behnel]

Shriramana Sharma, 09.05.2013 18:34:

> On Thu, May 9, 2013 at 9:35 PM, Robert Bradshaw wrote:
>> Certainly you can create the .c files without python-dev, but that's
>> not super useful by itself so making it an actual dependency might be
>> the right thing to do here.
>
> This is a strange situation. So it would mean that Cython *can* be
> used without python-dev. But it is not *useful* without python-dev.

It can be used without python-dev, and even without a C compiler installed.
You can use it to build source distributions with pre-compiled .c files.

> I'll have to let the Debian people take the call. At least
> "recommends" rather than "suggests" would be meaningful. (On my
> Kubuntu system, recommended packages are automatically installed like
> dependencies -- Apt provides for that.)

I don't consider it a strict dependency, but I agree that almost all users
will want to have python-dev installed as well.

Stefan

[Robert Bradshaw]

Recommends sounds right if that's standard behavior. Otherwise,
despite the fact that it's not a strict dependency, the question is
would we upset more people by installing this not-strictly-required
"dependency" or the other way around, and I'd lean towards installing
it by default.

[Bradley Froehle]

Hi Shriramana:

The current Cython packages do recommend python-dev.  For example, in Ubuntu 13.04:

$ apt-cache show cython

Package: cython

Priority: optional

Section: python

Installed-Size: 5439

Maintainer: Ubuntu Developers <ubuntu-dev...@lists.ubuntu.com>

Original-Maintainer: Python Applications Packaging Team <python-a...@lists.alioth.debian.org>

Architecture: amd64

Version: 0.17.4-0ubuntu1

Depends: python (>= 2.7.1-0ubuntu2), python (<< 2.8), libc6 (>= 2.4)

Recommends: python-dev, gcc

Perhaps you mis-read the packages website --- green diamonds are "recommends" and blue circles are "suggests".

We aren't responsible for the Debian/Ubuntu packages so there isn't anything for us to do here, but if you like you can always file a bug report in the Debian (or Ubuntu) bug tracker.

Cheers,

Brad

[Shriramana Sharma]

On Fri, May 10, 2013 at 12:56 AM, Bradley Froehle
<brad.f...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Perhaps you mis-read the packages website --- green diamonds are
> "recommends" and blue circles are "suggests".

Ouch -- mea culpa people. :-( Juggling too many open windows is bad
for your attention span I guess. :-(

Sorry!