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+.\" Hey, Emacs!  This is an -*- nroff -*- source file.
+.\" Author: Raul Miller
+.\" Includes text from the debian Guidelines by Ian Jackson, Ian Murdock
+.TH DEB-CONTROL 5 "29th November 1995" "Debian Project" "Debian GNU/Linux"
+.SH NAME
+deb\-control \- Debian GNU/Linux packages' master control file format
+.SH SYNOPSIS
+control
+.SH DESCRIPTION
+Master control file format:
+.LP
+The `control' file contains a number of fields.  Each field begins
+with a tag, such as `PACKAGE' or `VERSION' (case insensitive),
+followed by a colon, and the body of the field. Fields are delimited
+only by field tags.  In other words, field text may be multiple lines
+in length, but the installation tools will generally join lines when
+processing the body of the field.
+.SH REQUIRED FIELDS
+.TP
+.BR PACKAGE: \ <Short\ name\ of\ package>
+The value of this field is used to generate file names by some
+installation tools.
+.TP
+.BR VERSION: \ <Original\ version\ number>
+typically, this is the original portable package's version
+number in whatever form the program's author uses.
+.TP
+.BR PACKAGE_REVISION: \ <Debian\ package\ revision\ number>
+this should usually be a plain number, or perhaps two numbers
+separated by a full stop.
+.TP
+.BR MAINTAINER: \ <Name\ and\ e-mail\ address\ of\ package\ maintainer>
+should be in the format  Joe Bloggs <jbloggs@foo.com>.
+.TP
+.BR DESCRIPTION: \ <Description\ of\ package> 
+.SH OPTIONAL FIELDS
+.TP
+.BR DEPENDS: \ <Short\ names\ of\ prerequisite\ packages>
+list of packages that are required for this package to provide a
+non-trivial amount of functionality.  The package maintenance software
+will not allow a package to be installed without also installing
+packages listed in its 
+.B DEPENDS
+field, and will rin the postinst scripts of packages listed in DEPENDS
+fields before those of the packages which depend on them, and run
+prerm scripts before.
+.TP
+.BR RECOMMENDED: \ <Short\ names\ of\ related,\ recommended\ packages>
+lists packages that would be found together with
+this one in all but unusual installations.  The package maintenance
+software will warn the user if they install a package without those
+listed in its
+.B RECOMMENDED
+field.
+.LP
+The syntax of
+.B DEPENDS
+and
+.B RECOMMENDED
+is a list of groups of alternative packages.  Each group is a list of
+packages separated by vertical bar (or `pipe') symbols, `|'.  The
+groups are separated by commas.  Each package is a package name
+optionally followed by a version number specification in parentheses.
+A version number may start with a `>', in which case any later version
+will match, and may specify or omit the Debian packaging revision
+(separated by a hyphen).  Commas are to be read as `AND', and pipes as
+`OR', with pipes binding more tightly.
+.TP
+.BR OPTIONAL: \ <Short\ names\ of\ related,\ optional\ packages>
+lists packages that are related to this one and can perhaps enhance
+its usefulness, but without which installing this package is perfectly
+reasonable.  The package maintenance software will not moan at the
+user for not selecting
+.B OPTIONAL
+related packages, but may use the information in the
+.B OPTIONAL
+field to assist the user during package selection.
+.TP
+.BR CONFLICTS: \ <Short\ names\ of\ packages\ which\ conflict\ with\ this\ one>
+lists packages that conflict with this one, for example by containing
+files with the same names (an example would be Smail vs. Sendmail).
+The package maintenance software will not allow conflicting packages
+to be installed.  Two conflicting packages should each include a
+.B CONFLICTS
+line mentioning the other.
+.LP
+The syntax of
+.B OPTIONAL
+and
+.B CONFLICTS
+is a list of package names, separated by commas (and optional
+whitespace).  In the
+.B CONFLICTS
+field, the comma should be read as `OR'.
+
+.SH BUGS
+This manpage is seriously out of date.
+
+.SH SEE ALSO
+.BR deb (5),
+.BR dpkg (5),
+.BR dpkg (8),
+.BR dpkg-dep (8),
+.BR dselect (8).