Backports installed without prompt if not in base suite: bug or feature ?
Hello everybody,
the Release file for jessie-backports (and other backport suites before this
one) contains:
NotAutomatic: yes
ButAutomaticUpgrades: yes
The consequence is that a package (for instance "foo") from jessie-backports
will not be installed if this suite is not selected ("apt install -t
jessie-backports foo", or "apt install foo/jessie-backports"), but once a
backport is installed, updates will be automatically installed by "apt
upgrade". This is a good thing.
However, there is an exception: when a package is in the backports suite but
not in the base suite, it will be installed by "apt install foo" without the
need to select the backports suite. For this reason, jessie-backports has not
been added to the default sources.list in new installations.
(<https://bugs.debian.org/764982>)
I was wondering if this was an unforseen limitation or a feature ? (Sorry if
this has been discussed already, in that case could you send me a hint of where
it is archived ?). Do you think that it would be possible to request a change
in APT, to remove the exception above, and therefore open the way to enable
backports by default in Stable ? The reason I ask is that there is a broad
interest on making Debian image for clouds, that would contain mostly package
from Stable, with only a few exceptions whithout which the image would not be
functional enough. However, it would be best if we could guarantee that "apt
install foo" on these images will not install new backports (other than pulled
by dependency trees).
Have a nice day,
--
Charles Plessy
Debian Med packaging team,
http://www.debian.org/devel/debian-med
Tsurumi, Kanagawa, Japan
Reply to: