Bug#2624: textutils needs to break fmt-related files out separately
david@elo.ods.com (David Engel)
> > I don't know about its current status, but the textutils fmt program
> > used to be broken in various ways where the elvis fmt program wasn't
> > broken. I don't know if the textutils fmt program has been fixed
> > or not.
>
> If the textutils fmt hasn't been fixed yet, it should be. If it can't
> easily be fixed, then it should be removed completely.
Last night, I downloaded the current textutils package, and the
current dpkg package which is needed in order to install it. A
few quick tests didn't turn up any obvious bugs. It looks like
the earlier broken version of textutils fmt has been fix. I'm now
leaning towards either withdrawing the elv-fmt package from the
distribution, and thereby making our lives a bit less complicated.
I'm pushed for time just now, but will probably post a request tonight
that this be done.
[...]
> > > simply use dpkg-divert to avoid conflicting with the one in textutils?
> >
> > dpkg-divert is a new one on me. What's that?
> > Do you perhaps mean update-alternatives?
>
> No, I don't mean update-alternatives, which I personally don't care
> for but I won't get into that. Dpkg diversions are a feature Ian J.
> added a while back where one package can selectively override files
> from other packages by diverting them to other names. Dpkg remembers
> the diversions and automatically does the right thing when either
> package is upgraded or removed. Please read
> /usr/doc/dpkg/diversions.text for details.
I've now looked quickly at the /usr/doc/dpkg docs in my newly-installed
dpkg-1.1.3. I somehow missed the discussion on dpkg-divert, and perhaps
some of the other material as well. After a quick reading of the
diversions.txt file I think I'll probably still withdraw elv-fmt in
favor of textutils fmt, but dpkg-divert may be useful in some of the
other messy inter-package situations I have. Thanks for the pointer
to this -- I'll read it more thoroughly tonight.
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