Bug#703612: developers-reference: transitional packages cannot always safely be removed

[Charles Plessy <plessy@debian.org>]

block 703612 703610
thanks

Le Thu, Mar 21, 2013 at 12:15:43PM +0100, Vincent Lefevre a écrit :
> 
>   6.7.7. Make transition packages deborphan compliant
> [...]
>     For example, with --guess-dummy, deborphan tries to search all
>     transitional packages which were needed for upgrade but which can
>     now safely be removed. For that, it looks for the string dummy or
>     transitional in their short description.
> 
> "which can now safely be removed" is incorrect, as a transitional
> package can still contain executables and be functional, e.g. ffmpeg.
> 
> According to
> 
>   http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=692193#29
> 
> a transitional package can also be a package that will be removed
> in a future version of Debian.

Hi Vincent,

I guess that the best is first to correct deborphan, as you suggested in
#703610, and then the Developer's Reference.

Have a nice day,

-- 
Charles Plessy
Tsurumi, Kanagawa, Japan