To Require or not to Require?

[Michael Schwendt]

On Thu, 11 Aug 2011 13:29:52 +0100, PH (Paul) wrote:

> Library requirements should be implicit unless there's a good reason 
> otherwise; see:
> http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Packaging:Guidelines#Explicit_Requires

Not true, or "not the full story".

Library SONAME requirement for _external_ builds ought to stay
implicit/automatic, but _libraries and subpackages_ are a different
problem space. A library update may add stuff without changing its SONAME
and while staying compatible with existing executables in external packages.
But executables shipped with the library package (in subpackages) may
strictly need the very latest library.

I've posted another reply in this thread.