Bug#1091661: debian-cd: run a survey on included udebs

Package: debian-cd
Severity: normal
X-Debbugs-Cc: [email protected]

Hi,

Spotted while building netinst images locally via easy-build: I was
surprised to see fonts-* udebs included there. As far as I know,
those are useful at src:debian-installer build time, and included
via build/pkg-lists/gtk-common (see some related comments in [1]
about size/space/memory consequences about the amount of fonts we're
shipping).

  1. https://lists.debian.org/debian-boot/2024/12/msg00228.html

Since language is the very first thing that's managed by d-i, I'm
pretty sure (but not entirely certain since I didn't actually check)
that we're not loading udebs on the fly to get access to extra
fonts…

That being said, it'd be worth checking the list of udebs in the
gtk-common list vs. those included in images, make sure the lists
match (after all, one language might use this font at some point
because there's nothing better — this could have been the case for
Japanese and MotoyaLCedar — then switch to a better one — this could
have been the case for BIZ UDGothic), and maybe prune fonts on the
debian-cd side.

There might be other udebs that are used at build-time and that
don't need to be included in installation images, that's why this
bug report uses a broader title than just fonts.


(All of that with a “space is a recurring issue” mindset, not with a
“I want everything to be eagerly optimized and I'm willing to risk
breaking things to save a few bytes” one… See how linux-image-*
might not fit, see how tasksel* almost went missing, etc.)


Cheers,
-- 
Cyril Brulebois ([email protected])            <https://debamax.com/>
D-I release manager -- Release team member -- Freelance Consultant