Henrique de Moraes Holschuh <hmh(_at_)debian(_dot_)org>:
Apparently the test exists because there are some vendor tar programs that
are stupid enough to fail to create the subdirectories if they are not
included in the tar file, and dpkg is supposed to run in systems without GNU
tar, maybe so as to enable one to install GNU tar from a Debian package :)
Yuck. I'll keep an ear to the ground for this kind of bug report, but it's
enough of a crash landing that I think I would have heard about it before
now if it were a real problem.
--
<a href="http://www.tuxedo.org/~esr/";>Eric S. Raymond</a>
The only purpose for which power can be rightfully exercised over any
member of a civilized community, against his will, is to prevent harm
to others. His own good, either physical or moral, is not a sufficient
warrant. -- John Stuart Mill, "On Liberty", 1859