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Re: dpkg v2 ? I haven't heard about it, but ...



On Wednesday 21 July 1999, at 21 h 6, the keyboard of Ian Jackson 
<ian@davenant.greenend.org.uk> wrote:

> to take more seriously a rumour that I heard: namely, that a bunch of
> C++ weenies[1] wanted to rewrite dpkg. 

The "rumour" has been discussed on debian-private several times...

> There are a number of things
> I'd like to say, in no particular order.

As a poor programmer, maintainer of a few unused packages, unable to 
understand the wonderful code of dpkg (I tried) and even more unable to find 
something in the wonderful bug list of dpkg <http://www.debian.org/Bugs/db/pa/l
dpkg.html>, I want to add:

> * I don't think that most of dpkg needs to be rewritten.

As I said, I'm not unable to decipher dpkg's code with my small brain. I just 
see the results:

1) Long bug list,
2) Nobody dares to modify dpkg. For instance, when we discussed versioned 
provides, instead of talking about wether it is a good idea or not, we always 
stopped when someone said 'but it would mean modify dpkg'...

> * I am actively working on dpkg.

#1797: upgrade/downgrade dependency calculation problem    Package: dpkg; 
Severity: grave; Reported by: Ian Jackson <ian@chiark.chu.cam.ac.uk>; merged
    with #5639, #6842, #6843, #7956; 1356 days old. 
                                     ^^^^

> * Many of the problems that are in current dpkg versions (particularly
> the build system) are the result of NMUs.

And why so many NMUs? Because there is no active team working seriously on 
dpkg.
 
> * I shall be releasing a new maintainer-upload of dpkg into unstable
> Real Soon Now (tm).

Good!

> * One of the main reasons that dpkg is unapproachable by poor to
> mediocre programmers

Me!

> is that it must performs a complex task with a
> very high level of reliability [2].

Right. dpkg never corrupted my system, even if I like to press Control-C at 
the wrong time. But do not assume than anyone else is unable to do this job.

> * A number of competent people seem to have little difficulty working
> on dpkg.

The people who make NMUs you are referring about previously?
 
> [1] Please do take offence if you're one of those people who think
> that C++ and object-orientation are the right solution to nearly every
> serious programming problem, 

As a moronic user, I don't care: you can write it in Emacs Lisp, if you want.

> or if you find most of the dpkg source
> code difficult to understand.  Otherwise this insult is not directed
> at you.

Myself, and my fellow monkeys just recently released from the zoo to install 
Debian systems, believe someone talks about us here?



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