kpackagekit no longer selects recommended packages

[arboc]

Binary package hint: kpackagekit

Release: Kubuntu 9.10
Version: kpackagekit-0.4.2-0ubuntu3

In Jaunty Kubuntu, kpackagekit adhered to the new policy of selecting recommended packages for installation by default. In a fresh installation of Karmic Kubuntu, it no longer does. (However, apt-get from the command line continues to select recommended packages.)

For example, if one installs lyx from kpackagekit, it selects the dependencies for installation, but not the recommended latex back-end and font packages, leaving one with a nearly useless installation of lyx. On the other hand, if lyx is installed with apt-get, the latex back-end and font packages are automatically installed.

(In Karmic, packagekit's pkcon does not select recommended packages either, but I'm not sure it did back in Jaunty, as I only used kpackagekit in that release, and I no longer have it to do a test.)

I believe (k)packagekit should go back to obeying the policy, as it is very convenient for most users. Perhaps a configuration option could be added to enable advanced users to overrule the policy, if they want minimal installations to save disk space or for some other reason.

[Sebastian Heinlein (glatzor)]

Hello,

actually we don't set any option regarding the installation of
recommends in the apt backend of packagekit.

This seems to be a python-apt bug.

I will investigate this.

Cheers,

Sebastian

[Jonathan Thomas (echidnaman)]

Appears to be fixed in Kubuntu 10.04 alpha 2 + the latest packagekit updates.