[clue-tech] Debian: change to apt defaults.

[David L. Anselmi]

If you use apt, or something that runs apt underneath, it will start 
installing recommends packages by default starting 1 Oct (1 Oct in 
unstable, soon after in testing, the Lenny release for stable).

http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel-announce/2007/08/msg00000.html

Right now if you ask apt to install something it will automatically 
install that packages depends.  Recommends is the next level, "The 
Recommends field should list packages that would be found together with 
this one in all but unusual installations."

http://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/ch-relationships.html#s-binarydeps

You can configure apt to keep the old behavior.

Aptitude has done this for a while, and although I don't turn it off I 
sometimes stop it from doing this.  For example, something depends on 
libfam so that gets installed.  libfam recommends fam, but I don't have 
any need of that so I don't install it.  Unfortunately with apt I don't 
think it will be as easy as deselecting a package--you'll have to answer 
no when it asks for confirmation and then change your command line.

Part of the change is to fix recommends that shouldn't be there so I 
don't know whether that makes my example moot.

Dave