Re: Bug#144605: marked as done (gij-3.0: Does not install)
On Fri, Apr 26, 2002 at 09:27:30PM +0200, J.H.M. Dassen (Ray) wrote:
> > These users are using localepurge in the exact way the instructions say
> > to.
>
> And now they're sufficiently warned IMHO.
So you can fix a critical bug by adding a warning to the package? Why
did we add a Conflicts: tag, then, if you can just add a warning, and
that's just as good?
> > gij-3.0 should probably ignore the fact that update-alternatives is
> > failing here, as hopefully post-Woody /usr/share/man that can be deleted
> > with impunity.
>
> If you as a system administrator delete files belonging to a package, be it
> through rm, localepurge or vi /dev/hda, you have no right to expect the
> package to cope with that.
As a theoritical matter, that's true. As a practical matter, a large
number of users (5%, according to popularity-contest) are using this
program, and this problem could be hidden by a one line patch.
> localepurge is a hack. The proper solution to the problem localepurge
> addresses would be to amend policy to specify which files / directories may
> be removed from a package without the maintainer scripts tripping over the
> removal.
It's not a hack; it's the only solution. All the policy change will do
legitamize it. It's fairly clear which directories will be effected -
/usr/share/man and /usr/share/locale.
> > If it is in the distribution, then it must work when used according to the
> > instructions.
>
> The instructions now have a clear "here be dragons" in them.
Again, adding a "here be dragons" to the instructions is a copout. There
is no way to use localepurge without running the risk of breaking other
programs.
--
David Starner - starner@okstate.edu
"It's not a habit; it's cool; I feel alive.
If you don't have it you're on the other side."
- K's Choice (probably referring to the Internet)
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