Hi, Len Yes, it probably usually is just like that.I see it's just too hard for ordinary desktop user to resolve broken deps, even if it's really such easy as removing one single package. The "undo" should be achievable in simpler way.
There are valid assertions that sometimes it's just not that easy, as programs sometimes do data conversions etc. Well, no easy answer. Maybe more pressure on upstream in order to allow downgrade.
I think many feel that it would be quite natural to have downgrade option. In many cases, shouldn't be hard either. In special cases, could be technically very difficult, sigh..
If You and several people claim they haven't met such problems with testing, I can live with that. I also heard people whose experience was different, and my personal one is closer to them. That's all.All it takes is one package that has a dependancy problem to prevent hundreds of other packages from upgrading or installing fully. It looks like everything is broken, when all it really is is just one missing or broken package. When you know how to read what the upgrade system tells you you can usually deal with it or put the right things on hold for a few days while the missing package makes it in to testing.
Well, if You actually use the computer for daily work, it's not that easy to "put things on hold" ;-)
Peter