Re: Bug#32595: remove obsolete and confusing acquisition methods: harddisk, mounted, cdrom, nfs
[CC's trimmed]
On Sat, 30 Jan 1999 18:03:54 +0000 (BST), "M.C. Vernon" <mcv21@cus.cam.ac.uk> said:
> I still use nfs or mounted (I have /sunsite always pointing to
> sunsite, which is where I get my packages from) and dselect. It's
> always worked fine for me, so I feel no need to change.
It hasn't worked very well for loads of other users; see the bug list
that I originally reported.
The issue isn't whether the older methods works well enough for you;
the issue is whether (a) the installation methods have been officially
obsoleted by other methods, including dpkg-multicd (which includes
NFS, disk, and CDROM support) and/or the apt which is included in
slink.
Let me point out that I don't think you can find *anyone* who will
argue that the 'dpkg -iGROEB' system used by these dpkg/disk methods
(harddisk, cdrom, nfs, mounted) is better. In fact, using 'dpkg
-iGROEB' is much worse:
* it doesn't do proper dependancy ordering
* since it doesn't do proper ordering, running it causes lots of
scarey message; these messages are bad in two ways:
- they are a turn off to new users, who conclude that debian is
obscure, and broken
- they mask real bugs by all the noise generated
* it requires several runs of the configure step to get the packages
properly installed, due to the ordering problems
Moreover, the issue is also that the these older methods are part of
'dpkg' itself. So long as this is so, these methods will be included
in installation systems such as boot-floppies. They have normal,
generic looking names like 'harddisk', 'cdrom', 'nfs'. New users
*will* use them on slink cds, and they will break break break.
I submit that they *must* be removed from the boot-floppies and the
*must* be taken out of harms way. Therefore, they must be removed
from dpkg. If someone wants to split the pacakge, great.
> So then I have to download a bunch of packages if I want to grab a
> package of my CD, or use nfs, or ftp for when I want something from
> incoming....
No, one package, as Enrique pointed out.
Also, you can use dpkg-multicd or dpkg-mountable for *better*
implementations already.
The only arguments I've had from people who want to retain these
methods have already stated they're simply sticking to these default
methods due to inertia.
Please, someone give me *one* technical reason how the dpkg-supplied
acquisition methods are not obsoleted by dpkg-multicd or apt. Sorry,
saying "I'm happy with the broken system and too lazy to try
non-broken ones" does not qualify.
Perhaps the dpkg-multicd methods could *divert* the older dpkg
methods, just to get those older methods out of harm's way?
--
.....Adam Di Carlo....adam@onShore.com.....<URL:http://www.onShore.com/>
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