Why is the full xorg package being installed in Noble?

[wontfix]

xorg is a required dependency of ubuntu-desktop and ubuntu-desktop-minimal. It requires the package x11-apps and xorg-docs-core.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

I agree the apps in x11-apps don't appear to be useful anymore. But the 'xorg' package itself is only a metapackage and pulling in other packages is what metapackages do. It gives you a traditional X11 environment so from that perspective, having 'xorg' install 'x11-apps' makes a lot of sense.

I suggest the real bug should be "why are we installing package 'xorg'?". If you want then we can reword this bug accordingly.

[wontfix (wontfix)]

It would matter less if it were only recommended and not a required dependency.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

Required is correct because 'xorg' is a metapackage and therefore would not fulfill its duty otherwise.

I suggest the real bug should be "why are we installing package 'xorg'?". If you want then we can reword this bug accordingly.

[wontfix (wontfix)]

I'm only trying to change a required to be installed package to a recommended package. This will be installed anyways, it could just optionally be removable.

[Daniel van Vugt (vanvugt)]

I can imagine at least two alternatives:

  * ubuntu-meta depends on xserver-xorg and other critical packages; or

  * Creating a new 'xorg-minimal' metapackage.

But I also imagine nobody will ever bother with those because it's not actually important. More likely that the two dependencies this bug is about would be cut as you request, or that nothing will change at all.