Re: Bug #32888: The old `base' package.

[Santiago Vila <sanvila@unex.es>]

On Tue, 9 Mar 1999, Julian Gilbey wrote:

> > It is not a critical bug that removing an essential package makes the
> > system to be messed up. It is expected behaviour. Could somebody explain
> > to me why do we consider this to be a bug at all?. When you remove any
> > package which is called "obsolete" by dselect, the user loses its
> > functionality. Is the "obsolete" word the problem? If so then this bug
> > should probably be reassigned to dpkg as wishlist so that it uses
> > some different word.
> 
> My understanding was that the "base" package has now been obsoleted by
> other packages which provide the same functionality.  Therefore the
> base package should be removable.  The fact that it is obsolete and
> replaced means that it should be removable, even though it was
> "essential" in the past.

base was not "essential in the past".
base is still essential now for people who have it installed.

Why should we remove it? Just because it is called "obsolete" by dselect?
Do you remove every "obsolete" package in your system?

"obsolete" and essential are orthogonal things.

Is the word "obsolete" the real problem?

Thanks.

-- 
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