python-epydoc Recommends far too liberally

[William Grant]

python-epydoc Recommends most of TeX. Most people very probably just use epydoc for its HTML generation, so I suggest demoting the TeX stuff to Suggests.

This is a practical problem, because python-epydoc's Recommends by default pull in hundreds of megabytes of useless packages.

[Nick Moffitt (nick-moffitt)]

I just had this take be by surprise on lucid (installing recommends by default is new behavior after an upgrade) as epydoc was itself buried in a more modest (14MB) set of dependencies for something else.

Here's the relevant section of the install report as run with Debug::pkgDepCache::AutoInstall=true

    Installing gs-common as Recommends of python-epydoc
      Installing ghostscript as Depends of gs-common
        Installing libgs8 as Depends of ghostscript
          Installing libcups2 as Depends of libgs8
            Installing libavahi-client3 as Depends of libcups2
              Installing libavahi-common3 as Depends of libavahi-client3
                Installing libavahi-common-data as Depends of libavahi-common3
          Installing libcupsimage2 as Depends of libgs8
            Installing libtiff4 as Depends of libcupsimage2
          Installing libfontconfig1 as Depends of libgs8
            Installing fontconfig-config as Depends of libfontconfig1
              Installing ttf-dejavu-core as Depends of fontconfig-config
        Installing gsfonts as Depends of ghostscript
          Installing defoma as Depends of gsfonts
        Installing psfontmgr as Recommends of ghostscript
    Installing python-tk as Recommends of python-epydoc
      Installing blt as Depends of python-tk
        Installing tcl8.5 as Depends of blt
        Installing tk8.5 as Depends of blt
          Installing libxft2 as Depends of tk8.5
            Installing libxrender1 as Depends of libxft2
          Installing libxss1 as Depends of tk8.5
            Installing x11-common as Depends of libxss1
          Installing xterm as Recommends of tk8.5
            Installing xbitmaps as Depends of xterm
            Installing libice6 as Depends of xterm
            Installing libxaw7 as Depends of xterm
              Installing libxmu6 as Depends of libxaw7
                Installing libxt6 as Depends of libxmu6
                  Installing libsm6 as Depends of libxt6
              Installing libxpm4 as Depends of libxaw7
            Installing x11-utils as Recommends of xterm
              Installing libfontenc1 as Depends of x11-utils
              Installing libgl1-mesa-glx as Depends of x11-utils
                Installing libxdamage1 as Depends of libgl1-mesa-glx
                  Installing libxfixes3 as Depends of libxdamage1
                Installing libxxf86vm1 as Depends of libgl1-mesa-glx
                Installing libgl1-mesa-dri as Recommends of libgl1-mesa-glx
              Installing libxi6 as Depends of x11-utils
              Installing libxinerama1 as Depends of x11-utils
              Installing libxtst6 as Depends of x11-utils
              Installing libxv1 as Depends of x11-utils
              Installing libxxf86dga1 as Depends of x11-utils
    Installing texlive-latex-base as Recommends of python-epydoc
      Installing tex-common as Depends of texlive-latex-base
      Installing texlive-base as Depends of texlive-latex-base
        Installing texlive-doc-base as Depends of texlive-base
          Installing texlive-common as Depends of texlive-doc-base
        Installing luatex as Depends of texlive-base
          Installing libpoppler5 as ...