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Re: reasons for split of libavcodec54 and libavcodec-extra-54, missing codecs and a metapackage.



Quoting Reinhard Tartler (2014-11-23 02:57:33)
> On Thu, Nov 20, 2014 at 9:02 PM, Jonas Smedegaard <dr@jones.dk> wrote:
>> Quoting Reinhard Tartler (2014-11-20 21:45:56)
>>> On Nov 20, 2014 3:01 PM, "Jonas Smedegaard" <[1]dr@jones.dk> wrote:
>>>> Quoting Andreas Cadhalpun (2014-11-20 17:09:49)
>>>>> On 19.11.2014 13:09, Jonas Smedegaard wrote:
>>>>>> Possibly we can simplify even further:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>  * Have package libavcodec-extra-NN provide virtual
>>>>>>    libavcodec-extra (i.e. non-versioned name of itself)
>>>>>>  * Let GPLv2 packages conflict against libavcodec-extra (i.e. not
>>>>>>    replace but complement existing suggests/recommends/depends).
>>>>>>
>>>>>> How does that sound?
>>>>>
>>>>> This sounds good, except that the virtual package needs another
>>>>> name, because libavcodec-extra is actually a real package [1].
>>>>
>>>> I don't see a problem in conflicting both with virtual provisions 
>>>> of the package and the real package - as the latter seems to me to 
>>>> provide nothing beyond pulling in latest of those same virtual 
>>>> provisions.
>>>
>>> I'm pretty sure that this approach makes it impossible to have a 
>>> versioned dependency on libavcodec-extra. Not sure if there is an 
>>> actual need for this, though.
>>
>> Now you get me curious: How would providing a virtual package make it 
>> any more difficult to depend versioned on a package?
>
>
> AFAIUI, if you have libavcodec-extra both virtual and real, then
> application packages can no longer declare:
>
> Depends: libavcodec-extra (>> 6:11)
>
> And reliably expect that the version constraint is obeyed. Or am I
> missing something?

Until recently, declaring a versioned dependency against a package both 
real and virtual meant that only the real package was considered, by the 
logic that only real packages can satisfy a version constraint.

Recently dpkg and APT has grown support for versioned virtual 
dependency, I believe.  I don't know how that works, but I am confident 
that both old and new behavior satisfies this use case: limiting to 
known good package (possibly then limiting too much, but that's for the 
package maintainer to then adjust).


>> Is it more difficult to depend versioned on e.g. apache2, which 
>> provides httpd and httpd-cgi?
>
> I believe it is also not possible to reliably declare:
>
> Depend: httpd (>> 2.0)
>
> Reinhard
>
> PS: Wouldn't that be great to have ensure to have a Web 2.0 service
> installed? ;-)

Well, that might actually be possible now :-)

 - Jonas

-- 
 * Jonas Smedegaard - idealist & Internet-arkitekt
 * Tlf.: +45 40843136  Website: http://dr.jones.dk/

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