dangling symlink: /usr/lib/jvm/java-*-openjdk-amd64/src.zip

The same bug exists in OpenJDK-11 in disco:

$ ls -l /usr/lib/jvm/java-11-openjdk-amd64/src.zip
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 21 04-02 16:42 /usr/lib/jvm/java-11-openjdk-amd64/src.zip -> ../openjdk-11/src.zip

A similar bug still exists in hirsute:

$ ls -l /usr/lib/jvm/openjdk-11/src.zip
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 Mar 18 10:05 /usr/lib/jvm/openjdk-11/src.zip -> lib/src.zip

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

+1

Please move the link creation step to the "openjdk-8-source" package.
On my machine no "openjdk-8-source" is installed but the link is present ...

Here is some terminal explanation.

----- 8< -----
me@my-machine:~# ls -lha /usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-amd64/src.zip
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 20 Nov 3 14:54 /usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-amd64/src.zip -> ../openjdk-8/src.zip
me@my-machine:~# ls -lha /usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-amd64/../openjdk-8/src.zip
ls: cannot access '/usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-amd64/../openjdk-8/src.zip': No such file or directory
me@my-machine:~# aptitude search openjdk-8
p openjdk-8-dbg - Java runtime based on OpenJDK (debugging symbols)
p openjdk-8-dbg:i386 - Java runtime based on OpenJDK (debugging symbols)
p openjdk-8-demo - Java runtime based on OpenJDK (demos and examples)
p openjdk-8-demo:i386 - Java runtime based on OpenJDK (demos and examples)
p openjdk-8-doc - OpenJDK Development Kit (JDK) documentation
p openjdk-8-jdk - OpenJDK Development Kit (JDK)
p openjdk-8-jdk:i386 - OpenJDK Development Kit (JDK)
i openjdk-8-jdk-headless - OpenJDK Development Kit (JDK) (headless)
p openjdk-8-jdk-headless:i386 - OpenJDK Development Kit (JDK) (headless)
p openjdk-8-jre - OpenJDK Java runtime, using Hotspot JIT
p openjdk-8-jre:i386 - OpenJDK Java runtime, using Hotspot JIT
i openjdk-8-jre-headless - OpenJDK Java runtime, using Hotspot JIT (headless)
p openjdk-8-jre-headless:i386 - OpenJDK Java runtime, using Hotspot JIT (headless)
p openjdk-8-jre-zero - Alternative JVM for OpenJDK, using Zero/Shark
p openjdk-8-jre-zero:i386 - Alternative JVM for OpenJDK, using Zero/Shark
p openjdk-8-source - OpenJDK Development Kit (JDK) source files
----- 8< -----

Thanks for fixing and KR!

The bug still exists in lunar:

$ symlinks /usr/lib/jvm/openjdk-17/
dangling: /usr/lib/jvm/openjdk-17/src.zip -> lib/src.zip

The src.zip is a source package of the Java API classes. As it was pointed out in a comment above, the "src.zip" symbolic link created by the -jdk and-jdk-headless packages links to a .zip file which is actually installed by the corresponding -source package.

This kind of a dependency between packages is best represented by the "Suggests" relationship. It neither fits into the definition of "Depends", nor into the definition of "Recommends". See [1].

--------------------START OF TERMINAL OUTPUT ---------------------------------
$apt-rdepends -s Suggests openjdk-8-jdk | head -4
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
openjdk-8-jdk
  Suggests: openjdk-8-demo
  Suggests: openjdk-8-source
  Suggests: visualvm

$ apt-rdepends -s Suggests openjdk-17-jdk | head -4
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
openjdk-17-jdk
  Suggests: openjdk-17-demo
  Suggests: openjdk-17-source
  Suggests: visualvm

---------------------END OF TERMINAL OUTPUT --------------------------

Given the -jdk packages "Suggest" the corresponding -source packages, using apt's '--install-suggests' option is one of the ways to avoid this dangling symbolic link (possibly at the cost of having many unnecessary packages installed).

[1] https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/maint-guide/dreq.en.html#control

However, after realizing that the -source packages "Depend" on the -jdk packages, the suggestion in comment #6 starts sounding good to me.

------------ START OF TERMINAL OUTPUT ---------------------
$ apt-rdepends openjdk-8-source | head -4
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Reading state information... Done
openjdk-8-source
  Depends: openjdk-8-jdk (>= 8u372-ga~us1-0ubuntu1~23.04)
  Depends: openjdk-8-jre (>= 8u372-ga~us1-0ubuntu1~23.04)

------------ END OF TERMINAL OUTPUT ----------------------

moving that to the source package means, that you have these symlinks for *all* architectures in the source package. Is this really worth it?

An implementation based on File triggers is feasible, but it might be perceived as an overkill given this problem is not actually a functional bug.

The bug is still there in Ubuntu 23.10/mantic:

$ symlinks /usr/lib/jvm/openjdk-17/
dangling: /usr/lib/jvm/openjdk-17/src.zip -> lib/src.zip