Re: On replacing orphaned packages
> I think the way to handle this is, if you *really* want to see them
> disappear, then find all the packages that depend on them and fix it so they
> don't. Take over maintenance, and either re-write the obsolete module so
> it's a wrapper of the new one (so the package won't disappear, but it'll at
> least have the superior <whatever> of the replacement), or rewrite the other
> stuff that depends on it.
>
> Once that's done, as the maintainer you can ask ftpmaster to make them go
> away.
>
> If there's currently nothing in the archive which needs it, then maybe ask
> ftpmaster to make it go away anyway, as it's (a) unneeded, and (b)
> superceded.
As far as I can tell, no modules depend on it - Maybe I am searching for
this the wrong way, but...
# grep libiniconf-perl -r /var/lib/apt/lists/|grep -v Binary:|grep -v Directory:|grep -v Package:|grep -v Filename:
gives me only the md5sums. And, yes, I do have main, contrib and non-free
(on unstable) listed.
Now, as the packages are currently orphaned - Would the previous
maintainer be the right person to address so they will ask ftpmaster to
drop it?
> Anyone who has local scripts (stuff which they've written themselves) which
> use the old modules won't be overly disadvantaged by their disappearance -
> they weren't getting updates for the module anyway, and it's not as though
> apt removes packages from your system just because they're no longer in the
> archive...
Yup... They will only break on new installs... And I think this would make
Debian better, not having unmaintained packages lying around and being
distributed everywhere.
--
Gunnar Wolf - gwolf@campus.iztacala.unam.mx - (+52-55)5623-1118
PGP key 1024D/8BB527AF 2001-10-23
Fingerprint: 0C79 D2D1 2C4E 9CE4 5973 F800 D80E F35A 8BB5 27AF
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