--- Begin Message ---
Package: debian-policy
Version: 3.8.0.1
Severity: wishlist
The policy manual currently uses the word "installed" in a couple of
different ways when referring to packages. Sometimes it's speaking quite
loosely, and in this sense is talking about something roughly equivalent
to 'dpkg --install'. However, in some other cases it's using a sense of
the word which I believe derives from dpkg's internal state machine, and
which corresponds to 'dpkg --unpack'. On quite a number of occasions
I've helped to explain this to people who were confused as a result: for
instance, unless you realise the second sense, the definition of
Conflicts is quite difficult to read.
I suggest that the second sense should be written as "unpacked" rather
than "installed". Although this breaks the correspondence with dpkg's
internal state machine, it brings the policy manual into line with the
verbs used on dpkg's command line, which I think correspond much more
reliably to how people think of the operation or state in question.
I've attached a patch, and am seeking seconds for this proposal. Please
double-check it for correctness, particularly the change in the
definition of Breaks; I have only verified that against an old mail from
Ian proposing the design of this field
(http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/1997/10/msg00643.html), not
against the current implementation.
Thanks,
--
Colin Watson [cjwatson@debian.org]
diff --git a/policy.sgml b/policy.sgml
index 7de382d..44ff374 100644
--- a/policy.sgml
+++ b/policy.sgml
@@ -1034,8 +1034,8 @@
</p>
<p>
- Sometimes, a package requires another package to be installed
- <em>and</em> configured before it can be installed. In this
+ Sometimes, a package requires another package to be unpacked
+ <em>and</em> configured before it can be unpacked. In this
case, you must specify a <tt>Pre-Depends</tt> entry for
the package.
</p>
@@ -3456,7 +3456,7 @@ Package: libc6
<p>
Broadly speaking the <prgn>preinst</prgn> is called before
- (a particular version of) a package is installed, and the
+ (a particular version of) a package is unpacked, and the
<prgn>postinst</prgn> afterwards; the <prgn>prerm</prgn>
before (a version of) a package is removed and the
<prgn>postrm</prgn> afterwards.
@@ -3835,7 +3835,7 @@ Package: libc6
behavior which, though deterministic, is hard for the
system administrator to understand. It can easily
lead to "missing" programs if, for example, a package
- is installed which overwrites a file from another
+ is unpacked which overwrites a file from another
package, and is then removed again.<footnote>
Part of the problem is due to what is arguably a
bug in <prgn>dpkg</prgn>.
@@ -3971,7 +3971,7 @@ Package: libc6
If there was a conflicting package we go and do the
removal actions (described below), starting with the
removal of the conflicting package's files (any that
- are also in the package being installed have already
+ are also in the package being unpacked have already
been removed from the conflicting package's file list,
and so do not get removed now).
</item>
@@ -4413,7 +4413,7 @@ Build-Depends: kernel-headers-2.2.10 [!hurd-i386],
<p>
When one binary package declares that it breaks another,
<prgn>dpkg</prgn> will refuse to allow the package which
- declares <tt>Breaks</tt> be installed unless the broken
+ declares <tt>Breaks</tt> be unpacked unless the broken
package is deconfigured first, and it will refuse to
allow the broken package to be reconfigured.
</p>
@@ -4454,13 +4454,13 @@ Build-Depends: kernel-headers-2.2.10 [!hurd-i386],
<p>
When one binary package declares a conflict with another
using a <tt>Conflicts</tt> field, <prgn>dpkg</prgn> will
- refuse to allow them to be installed on the system at the
+ refuse to allow them to be unpacked on the system at the
same time.
</p>
<p>
- If one package is to be installed, the other must be removed
- first - if the package being installed is marked as
+ If one package is to be unpacked, the other must be removed
+ first - if the package being unpacked is marked as
replacing (see <ref id="replaces">) the one on the system,
or the one on the system is marked as deselected, or both
packages are marked <tt>Essential</tt>, then
@@ -4655,7 +4655,7 @@ Provides: mail-transport-agent
Conflicts: mail-transport-agent
Replaces: mail-transport-agent
</example>
- ensuring that only one MTA can be installed at any one
+ ensuring that only one MTA can be unpacked at any one
time.
</sect1>
</sect>
@@ -4887,7 +4887,7 @@ Replaces: mail-transport-agent
<footnote>
<p>
During install or upgrade, the preinst is called before
- the new files are installed, so calling "ldconfig" is
+ the new files are unpacked, so calling "ldconfig" is
pointless. The preinst of an existing package can also be
called if an upgrade fails. However, this happens during
the critical time when a shared libs may exist on-disk
@@ -5023,7 +5023,7 @@ Replaces: mail-transport-agent
<ref id="conflicts">) to ensure that the user only installs one
development version at a time (as different development versions are
likely to have the same header files in them, which would cause a
- filename clash if both were installed).
+ filename clash if both were unpacked).
</p>
<p>
@@ -9267,7 +9267,7 @@ install-info --quiet --remove /usr/share/info/foobar.info
<p>
The <prgn>DEBIAN</prgn> directory will not appear in the
file system archive of the package, and so won't be installed
- by <prgn>dpkg</prgn> when the package is installed.
+ by <prgn>dpkg</prgn> when the package is unpacked.
</p>
<p>
--- End Message ---
--- Begin Message ---
Source: debian-policy
Source-Version: 3.9.2.0
We believe that the bug you reported is fixed in the latest version of
debian-policy, which is due to be installed in the Debian FTP archive:
debian-policy_3.9.2.0.dsc
to main/d/debian-policy/debian-policy_3.9.2.0.dsc
debian-policy_3.9.2.0.tar.gz
to main/d/debian-policy/debian-policy_3.9.2.0.tar.gz
debian-policy_3.9.2.0_all.deb
to main/d/debian-policy/debian-policy_3.9.2.0_all.deb
A summary of the changes between this version and the previous one is
attached.
Thank you for reporting the bug, which will now be closed. If you
have further comments please address them to 504880@bugs.debian.org,
and the maintainer will reopen the bug report if appropriate.
Debian distribution maintenance software
pp.
Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org> (supplier of updated debian-policy package)
(This message was generated automatically at their request; if you
believe that there is a problem with it please contact the archive
administrators by mailing ftpmaster@debian.org)
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA256
Format: 1.8
Date: Wed, 06 Apr 2011 22:48:55 -0700
Source: debian-policy
Binary: debian-policy
Architecture: source all
Version: 3.9.2.0
Distribution: unstable
Urgency: low
Maintainer: Debian Policy List <debian-policy@lists.debian.org>
Changed-By: Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org>
Description:
debian-policy - Debian Policy Manual and related documents
Closes: 459868 488214 501930 504880 536790 581011 588014 590696 591857 593909 594274 594542 594656 594658 597074 599944 606869 609160 619186
Changes:
debian-policy (3.9.2.0) unstable; urgency=low
.
* Policy: Require human Maintainer or Uploader, clarify Maintainer
Wording: Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org>
Seconded: Charles Plessy <plessy@debian.org>
Seconded: Raphaël Hertzog <hertzog@debian.org>
Closes: #459868, #581011
* Policy: Add an FHS exception on GNU/Hurd for /hurd and /servers
Wording: Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org>
Seconded: Andrew McMillan <andrew@morphoss.com>
Seconded: Guillem Jover <guillem@debian.org>
Closes: #594658
* Policy: Document DM-Upload-Allowed
Wording: Charles Plessy <plessy@debian.org>
Seconded: Andrew McMillan <andrew@morphoss.com>
Seconded: Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org>
Closes: #588014
* Policy: Update multiarch FHS exception for i386 naming
Wording: Steve Langasek <vorlon@debian.org>
Seconded: Aurelien Jarno <aurelien@aurel32.net>
Seconded: Raphael Hertzog <hertzog@debian.org>
Closes: #619186
* Policy: Significant additions to maintainer script documentation
Wording: Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org>
Seconded: Steve Langasek <vorlon@debian.org>
Seconded: Raphaël Hertzog <hertzog@debian.org>
Closes: #504880
* Policy: Clarify format of Debian control fields
Wording: Charles Plessy <plessy@debian.org>
Seconded: Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org>
Seconded: Julien Cristau <jcristau@debian.org>
Closes: #501930, #593909
* Virtual: Added mailx as a new virtual package
Wording: Russ Allbery <rra@debian.org>
Seconded: Raphaël Hertzog <hertzog@debian.org>
Seconded: Giacomo A. Catenazzi <cate@debian.org>
Closes: #488214
* Be more verbose in defining the build architecture and the host
architecture and consistently refer to architecture rather than
machine. (Closes: #591857)
* Correct the name of the Filesystem Hierarchy Standard in the package
description. Patch from Christoph Anton Mitterer. (Closes: #590696)
* Use the word "implemented" to describe required targets in
debian/rules, which is clearer about allowing wildcard rules. List
the required rules in their own paragraph rather than with the
paragraph discussing non-interactivity, and explicitly mark all rules
as either required or optional. (Closes: #536790)
* Update the ldconfig footnote listing the /etc/ld.so.conf directories
to remove the libc5 compatibility directories and mention the
multiarch triplet directories. Based on a patch by Charles Plessy.
(Closes: #597074)
* Add introductory paragraphs for each archive area explaining briefly
the purpose of that archive area. Based on a proposal by CJ
Fearnley. (Closes: #594542)
* Change all non-historical references to Debian GNU/Linux to simply
Debian since Debian now includes FreeBSD-based architectures. Patch
from Guillem Jover. (Closes: #594656)
* Remove references to the obsolete debmake package.
* Update the list of Policy maintainers.
* Wrap Uploaders in debian/control.
* Move Build-Depends-Indep to Build-Depends (there's no reason to use
-Indep in a package that builds only architecture-independent binary
packages), wrap it, and remove version restrictions that are older
than the version in oldstable.
* Add emacs23 to the build dependencies and remove the files generated
from org source from the revision control repository. Build and clean
files from org source unconditionally. Add Process.{txt,html} to the
list of files generated from org source. (Closes: #594274)
* Fix URLs under www.freedesktop.org to avoid permanent redirects.
Thanks, David Prévot. (Closes: #606869)
* Add a cross-reference to the Pre-Depends requirement in 3.5 to section
7.2 where Pre-Depends is defined. Thanks, Mattias Ellert and Jonathan
Nieder. (Closes: #599944)
* Include the new (optional) copyright format that was drafted as DEP-5.
This is not yet a final version; that's expected to come in the
3.9.3.0 release. Thanks to all the DEP-5 contributors and to Lars
Wirzenius and Charles Plessy for the integration into the Policy
package. (Closes: #609160)
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