What to do with packages which require a Java DK?

[Stephan Hermann]

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Good evening,

I just stumbled upon a glitch during the installation of the tomcat5.5
package. (BUg report:
https://bugs.edge.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/tomcat5.5/+bug/179447)

I followed the trace and I saw for tomcat5.5 a suggest towards
java-virtual-machine.

This virtual package but is connected to all JREs we have, not JDKs.

Tomcat5.5 but needs a JDK to run properly (javac is needed to
bytecompile JSPs etc. It's also mentioned in the README.Debian file).

Now, what would be the right(tm) way to assure the user, when he
installes tomcat5.5, that he has no flaws during installation?

There are two ways:

1. we are inventing a virtual package like java-development-kit (or
whatever name it will have, but clearly stating that this is for JDKs)
and push this virtual package as Provides: to all JDK package and
suggesting/recommending/depending on it for all packages which are
needing a jdk tun run/work in general?

2. Suggesting/Recommending/Depending on e.g. icedtea-java7-jdk |
sun-java6-jdk

This would mean, when using icedtea, we have to disable the security
provider mechanism of tomcat, afaik it only works with SUNs JDK), and
mentioning sun-java*-jdk would give a link to a package in multiverse.

I raise this issue here, because the current state is not good for the
server experience, and as we all know, tomcat is a well known piece of
software, which is in use in several hundreds of companies all over the
planet Earth :)

So, where do we go from here?

Regards,

\sh
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