Re: [RFC] Changing APT to pre-depend on ${shlibs:Depends}

[Henrique de Moraes Holschuh <hmh@debian.org>]

On Wed, 27 Apr 2011, Julian Andres Klode wrote:
> I hereby request comments on changing APT to pre-depend on
> ${shlibs:Depends}. The reason is simple:
> 
>         When we upload a new version of APT, depending on a newer
>         library version (due to new symbols, whatever), and APT gets
>         unpacked before the library, the system's ability to upgrade is
>         broken, unless you fix it manually via calls to dpkg.
>         
> APT is fairly low in the dependency chain, and the dependencies affected
> are libgcc1 and libstdc++6 (in addition to dpkg's pre-depends). As those
> are installed on most systems anyway, pre-depending on them should not
> introduce many problems.
> 
> Unless there are strong objections against this move, I will upload it
> tomorrow or on Friday.

Are there any real drawbacks?  Would it cause worse behaviour or problems
for the error-rewind paths if either the pre-deps, or apt fails to install,
as compared with the current status-quo?

-- 
  "One disk to rule them all, One disk to find them. One disk to bring
  them all and in the darkness grind them. In the Land of Redmond
  where the shadows lie." -- The Silicon Valley Tarot
  Henrique Holschuh