(continuing the discussion from 
https://lists.gnu.org/archive/html/guix-devel/2017-01/msg02239.html)

From: Marius Bakke <mbakke@fastmail.com>
Subject: Re: [PATCH] gnu: python-matplotlib: Don't propagate 
python-numpy-bootstrap.
Date: Fri, 27 Jan 2017 20:57:12 +0100

>> This patch works around it by creating an intermediate
>> python-matplotlib-bootstrap package as well, which is then used as 
>> a
>> native input to generate the documentation of python-numpy.
>> python-numpy is then used as a propagated input of 
>> python-matplotlib,
>> so python-numpy-bootstrap doesn't appear in user's profiles 
>> anymore.
>>
>> What do you think?
>
> This sounds sensible. Does numpy not require any matplotlib 
> functions at
> runtime?

No. It's just used for the documentation.  With the attached patch, 
the dependency chain is this:

matplotlib -> numpy -> matplotlib-bootstrap -> numpy-bootstrap 
(=“numpy-without-docs”)

> If so, this patch LGTM. The new matplotlib-bootstrap variables
> should have an explaining comment though :)

I've added a comment and fixed some long lines.

Thomas