Bug#944984: live-installer: Scripts access internal dpkg database

[Guillem Jover <guillem@debian.org>]

Source: live-installer
Source-Version: 57
Severity: important
User: debian-dpkg@lists.debian.org
Usertags: dpkg-db-access-blocker

Hi!

This package contains several scripts, which directly access the dpkg
internal database, instead of using one of the public interfaces
provided by dpkg.

These scripts check for the presence of the .list and .postinst files to
assert whether packages are installed. These components should be switched
to use something else. For example check the status for each of these
packages via dpkg-query.


This is a problem for several reasons, because even though the layout and
format of the dpkg database is administrator friendly, and it is expected
that those might need to mess with it, in case of emergency, this
“interface” does not extend to other programs besides the dpkg suite of
tools. The admindir can also be configured differently at dpkg build or
run-time. And finally, the contents and its format, will be changing in
the near future.

Thanks,
Guillem