Bug#32595: remove obsolete and confusing acquisition methods: harddisk, mounted, cdrom, nfs

[Martin Mitchell <martin@debian.org>]

Jules Bean <jmlb2@hermes.cam.ac.uk> writes:

> On 31 Jan 1999, Martin Mitchell wrote:
> 
> > Adam Di Carlo <adam@onshore.com> writes:
> > 
> > > Package: dpkg
> > > Version: 1.4.0.31
> > > Severity: important
> > > 
> > > Please remove the following methods (based on disk):
> > > 
> > >   harddisk
> > >   mounted
> > >   cdrom
> > >   nfs
> > > 
> > > These methods are obsolete and buggy.  Harddisk/mounted are replaced
> > > by dpkg-multicd and apt methods.  CDROM is also replaced by
> > > dpkg-multicd; in fact, this CDROM method doesn't even *work* anymore
> > > with slink since CD-ROMs span two devices.
> > 
> > I strongly object to removing all of those except cdrom. I don't find apt
> > adequate for my needs at this stage.
> 
> [...]
> 
> > Removing features to remove bugs is not a proper solution to reducing
> > dpkg's bugs. Ian, please refrain from removing these features, which are
> > still essential.
> 
> Would you outline the ways in which apt is not adequate to your needs, and
> these packages are?

1) A m68k computer with a 60Mb debian installation. Normally I use the nfs
method. Apt is just not feasible, it wants to copy everything over before
it starts - there simply isn't space on the disk to do this. Also the
runtime cost of starting dpkg on m68k is very high, so dselect is often
much faster, rather than apt's invoking dpkg separately for many packages.
(I am aware apt is more correct, however in practice so many invocations
of dpkg are rarely necessary)

2) A local mirror, hand constructed. No extra or useless packages in there.
Apt doesn't construct or handle this type of arrangement well by default.
The mounted method deals with this just fine.

	Martin.