Re: Updating scanners and filters in Debian stable (3.1)

[Matthew Garrett <mgarrett@chiark.greenend.org.uk>]

Wouter Verhelst <wouter@grep.be> wrote:

> That's not what the security archive is for. Granted, the updates are
> needed for the security of your system, but that doesn't make it a
> security update, does it?

We're always free to alter the way in which the security archive is
used. The fact that it is currently used in one way doesn't mean that
that always has to be the case. If we feel that it's important that
packages like virus checkers get updates pushed out on a regular basis,
then that may be sufficient to alter the way that we use it. Of course,
our users would have to be notified.

That's only one possible solution, though. There are two entirely
separate issues here:

1) Should packages that are likely to become useless over the course of
a stable release be updated?

2) If so, what is the best way to achieve that?

They're entirely separate arguments. We should think about the first
without worrying about the second until there's some sort of rough
conclusion.

-- 
Matthew Garrett | mjg59-chiark.mail.debian.devel@srcf.ucam.org