Re: dpkg should allow a smarter mechanism for overwriting file from other pkg

[Ian Jackson <ian@chiark.chu.cam.ac.uk>]

Chris Fearnley writes ("dpkg should allow a smarter mechanism for overwriting file from other pkg"):
> Package: dpkg
> Version: 1.1.1elf
> 
> Instead of preventing installation of files that are already installed
> by other packages, dpkg could (I think should) prompt the user to
> decide which version of the file to keep.

I disagree; this is much too complex a thing to do in this context.

If we require this functionality we can use update-alternatives;
failure to do this (or one of the other things) is simply a bug, and
never did work right anyway.

It's just rather noticeable now that dpkg has started checking it.

Ian.