Re: splitting packages - Huston, we have a problem.
On Fri, 30 Oct 1998, Joseph Carter wrote:
> On Fri, Oct 30, 1998 at 01:24:03PM +0000, Ian Jackson wrote:
> > >We need some kind of line in control that apt/dselect understand to tell
> > >them that the packages just split. dpkg probably doesn't need to know/care
> > >about it.
> >
> > This is one intended purpose of Replaces. Surely the new packages
> > declare Replaces on the old ones ? It's definitely on the wishlist
> > for dselect to automatically select package A if a new version of it
> > or new package of it appears which Replaces an existing and installed
> > B.
Replaces has so many other meanings and common uses that it is not good
enough to base a automatic package install on. I actually can't really
think of how you'd want to specify this..
If it were implemented into apt-get then it would only be acceptable to
occure on an upgrade from a pre-split -> split version and then it would
be necessary to determine a new set of packages that have 'equivilant'
functionality to the pre-split package.
Obviosly Replaces has too many other meanings to make it reliable enough
for this purpose, perhaps what is needed is a reverse sense, ie:
Package: netstd
<blah>
Package: telnet
Contained-In: netstd (<= 1.2)
Conflicts: netstd (<= 1.2)
<blah>
Then maybe through some magic you could detect that telnet is suddenly
required.. [I'd have to think about how that magic would work first :>]
I guess the statement is that a package that has 'Contained-In' is
implicitly installed if it's containing package is installed. Should the
contained package be upgraded then it would be installed...
Probably a simpler way..
Jason
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