Dear Maintainer,

The execution of apt installs the full python package:

# apt install python3-minimal
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
The following additional packages will be installed:
  libmpdec3 libpython3.10-minimal libpython3.10-stdlib media-types python3.10 python3.10-minimal
Suggested packages:
  python3.10-venv python3.10-doc binfmt-support
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  libmpdec3 libpython3.10-minimal libpython3.10-stdlib media-types python3-minimal python3.10 python3.10-minimal
0 upgraded, 7 newly installed, 0 to remove and 5 not upgraded.
Need to get 5076 kB of archives.
After this operation, 20.4 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n]

If you hold it "apt-mark hold python3.10". The python3-minimal is installed as usual.

The full python package is a recommended package, not a requirement for python3-minimal.


Thanks,

Sorry, the request here is about the review of the change from
recommended to suggested to avoid the auto install.


Thanks,

Sorry, the request here is about the review of the change from
recommended to suggested to avoid the auto install.

Thanks,

Hi Ricardo (2023.01.23_09:39:34_-0400)

# apt install python3-minimal
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be upgraded:
  python3-minimal
1 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 18 not upgraded.
Need to get 25.7 kB of archives.
After this operation, 0 B of additional disk space will be used.
Get:1 http://deb.debian.org/debian unstable/main amd64 python3-minimal amd64 3.11.1-2 [25.7 kB]
Fetched 25.7 kB in 0s (2065 kB/s)
debconf: delaying package configuration, since apt-utils is not installed
(Reading database ... 12792 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to unpack .../python3-minimal_3.11.1-2_amd64.deb ...
Unpacking python3-minimal (3.11.1-2) over (3.11.1-1) ...
Setting up python3-minimal (3.11.1-2) ...
root@first-ghost:~# dpkg -l python3.11
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name           Version      Architecture Description
+++-==============-============-============-=================================
un  python3.11     <none>       <none>       (no description available)

You sure you don't have something else installed that's bringing it in?

SR

Hi Stefano:

Tested with a simple container:

$ docker run -it debian:sid bash

# apt update && apt install python3-minimal
Get:1 http://deb.debian.org/debian sid InRelease [167 kB]
Get:2 http://deb.debian.org/debian sid/main amd64 Packages [9406 kB]
Fetched 9573 kB in 3s (3532 kB/s)
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
25 packages can be upgraded. Run 'apt list --upgradable' to see them.
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
The following additional packages will be installed:
   krb5-locales libexpat1 libgpm2 libgssapi-krb5-2 libk5crypto3
libkeyutils1 libkrb5-3 libkrb5support0 libmpdec3 libncursesw6 libnsl2
libpython3.11-minimal libpython3.11-stdlib libreadline8
   libsqlite3-0 libssl3 libtinfo6 libtirpc-common libtirpc3 media-types
ncurses-base ncurses-bin python3.11 python3.11-minimal readline-common
Suggested packages:
   gpm krb5-doc krb5-user python3.11-venv python3.11-doc binutils
binfmt-support readline-doc
The following NEW packages will be installed:
   krb5-locales libexpat1 libgpm2 libgssapi-krb5-2 libk5crypto3
libkeyutils1 libkrb5-3 libkrb5support0 libmpdec3 libncursesw6 libnsl2
libpython3.11-minimal libpython3.11-stdlib libreadline8
   libsqlite3-0 libssl3 libtirpc-common libtirpc3 media-types
python3-minimal python3.11 python3.11-minimal readline-common
The following packages will be upgraded:
   libtinfo6 ncurses-base ncurses-bin
3 upgraded, 23 newly installed, 0 to remove and 22 not upgraded.
Need to get 10.4 MB of archives.
After this operation, 33.6 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n]

Here you see the python3.11 installation, but it's because apt is
pulling the recommends by default.

Check this other execution with the argument "--no-install-recommends":

# apt install python3-minimal --no-install-recommends
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
The following additional packages will be installed:
   libexpat1 libpython3.11-minimal libssl3 python3.11-minimal
Suggested packages:
   binfmt-support
Recommended packages:
   libpython3.11-stdlib python3.11
The following NEW packages will be installed:
   libexpat1 libpython3.11-minimal libssl3 python3-minimal
python3.11-minimal
0 upgraded, 5 newly installed, 0 to remove and 25 not upgraded.
Need to get 5009 kB of archives.
After this operation, 18.9 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n]

The python3.11 is not installed.

I think that python3.11 must be labeled inside suggests instead of
recommends. On debian/control:

85,86c85
< Recommends: python3.11
< Suggests: binfmt-support
---


Thanks,

Hi Ricardo (2023.01.29_04:09:09_-0400)

Ah, yes. My minimal chroot wasn't minimal enough.

I see that python3.X-minimal Recommends python3.x.
I don't know the origin of this Recommends, but it's been there a long
time.

And it really does stand. We don't recommend that anyone use the
-minimal interpreter on its own. It exists for use-cases where size
really matters, like installer environments, and Recommends would
generally be disabled in those scenarios.

We strongly discourage anything in Debian from depending on the minimal
packages:
https://www.debian.org/doc/packaging-manuals/python-policy/index.html#minimal-packages

So, let's go back to first principles. What problem are you trying to
solve that requires the minimal interpreter, but also wants Recommends
enabled?

SR