Re: Package conflicts (Was: Re: Bug#2539: general) debian-unstable)

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

Kai Henningsen writes ("Package conflicts (Was: Re: Bug#2539: general) debian-unstable)"):
...
> Hmm. It seems it would be useful to have a tool that can check all  
> dependencies and conflicts of all packages, to check for problems in the  
> distribution - not so much for the individual end user, as for the  
> distribution maintainers and for people creating new packages or modifying  
> dependencies or conflicts.
> 
> That tool could, for example, report "it's currently impossible to install  
> package X because it needs Y and Z, which conflict", or similar problems.
> 
> I see two general options here - either creating one somehow from dpkg. or  
> a completely independant effort.

I agree.  There is much code in dpkg that would make doing this
reasonably easy, but I'm a shortage of manpower.

> Any comments?

Contributions of good code gratefully accepted :-).

Ian.