Re: managing packages
On 25-Jan-00, 18:59 (CST), Brian May <bam@debian.org> wrote:
> There are a number of problems with apt:
>
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 1. say I wanted to install gimp on my computer:
>
> The obvious way would be to say:
> apt-get install gimp
>
> However, this leaves a lot of packages missing, eg
> gimp-data-extras and gimp-manual.
>
> Even if apt somehow supported installing packages referred to by
> "Suggests:", this wouldn't install gimp-manual (perhaps this is a bug
> in gimp), but instead would install 3 non-free (IIRC) packages:
> freefont, sharefont and gimp-nonfree.
>
> Instead, whenever installing a package, I have to manually look
> through all the suggests headers, and manually try to select packages
> that might be required. If I forget, then certain features of the
> package I just installed may not work correctly.
Then use dselect. This is no more a problem with apt-get than it is
with dpkg. Not to say that there aren't problems with dselect...maybe
aptitude or console-apt or gnome-apt would be the right choice for you.
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 2. Lets assume, for instance xscreensaver does the right thing (it
> doesn't[1]) by having a "suggests" entry for every screen saver
> that could can be used (and is setup in the demos screen).
>
> Now, say I want to have all these screen savers installed on my computer.
> Furthermore, if a new screensavers become available (eg when woody
> is released), I want them to be automatically installed, too. Of course,
> this shouldn't be done via Depends. For instance, suppose I have
> a total dislike for xfishtank, and never want this to be installed.
> How would you do this?
This would be an ideal use for the "backwards" suggest proposed to
solve the free-pointing-at-non-free issue. ("related"?). Then the new
screen-saver packages could be "related" to xscreensaver, and you could
ask to see all the related packages.
> -----------------------------------------------------------------------------
> 3. AFAIK, there is still no way to remove packages (eg libraries) that
> are no longer required.
dpkg --purge libnotneeded
Oh, you mean automagically :-).
> I am not sure how 3 could be solved.
Track package that are selected only to satisfy a "depends". When the
last depender is removed, *offer* to remove the dependee as well. This
sounds like the Windows DLL trick, but since I actually trust the Debian
depends system, I'd feel okay about. The admin needs to be able to
"upgrade" such packages to fully selected, in which case they don't
propose deselection.
(Even though I snipped it, I think the rules idea is cool, but I doubt
it's necessary for a reasonable solution to 3.)
Steve
--
Steve Greenland <vmole@swbell.net>
(Please do not CC me on mail sent to this list; I subscribe to and read
every list I post to.)
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