Packaging :: Why Would A X86_64 Package Depend On I686 Packages?

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Hi! I recently encountered a situation when a x86_64 package is dependent on i686 packages.. Does anyone with packaging experience know why this could be necessary?
What arguments (logical and technical) can i bring to the said packager in order to stop this chain of dependencies?

Thanks!
Adrian

5 thoughts on - Packaging :: Why Would A X86_64 Package Depend On I686 Packages?

  • Hi everyone! The question was purely academic (in the sense that i think that this is wrong but i don’t have the experience and knowledge to have arguments for my opinion). The package in question is from a particular science-related repo and i i got an answer that the package is that way because there are potential users that use i686 software (in the context that that software is only supported for x86_64 distros..)

    So: are there any best-practices rules that say :”do not mix arch in packages, better split them” ?

    Thanks!
    Adrian

  • One that comes to mind is Google Earth. Their alleged 64-bit packages have dependencies on 32-bit packages. Go figure.