Re: apt-get should correctly process dependencies
On 26-Apr-00, 15:05 (CDT), Mike Markley <mike@markley.org> wrote:
> On Wed, Apr 26, 2000 at 05:40:15PM +0000, Pedro Miguel Guerreiro <pmguerre@ualg.pt> spake forth:
> > Read above. It _must_ pick exim. After all, what's the use of having
> > a default MTA, if the packages don't pick it up when thay need a
> > MTA? ;-)
>
> No, it should depend on the virtual package
> mail-transport-agent. That's its whole reason for existence. Debian
> prefers free software, but it's not about forcing a particular piece
> of software down your throat. If it were, I'd make aide conflict with
> and replace tripwire ;). Not every sysadmin wants to run exim and
> that's recognized, just as not every sysadmin wants to run apache
> (which is one of the packages that provides httpd), etc. - hence the
> virtual package system.
I think you misunderstood. If a package depends upon a virtual package,
and there is currently no package providing the v-p, then apt-get should
pick the highest priority package that provides the v-p. (In this case,
exim). An interactive install tool (such as dselect or aptitude) should
present you with the list of packages that provide the v-p, perhaps
defaulting to the one with the highest priority.
What should not happen is that apt-get should pick some random v-p
providing package, as it appears to be doing.
Steve
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