apt-listbugs and pinning
Hi all,
I am following the Etch release, and use apt-listbugs as a way to
prevent installation of buggy packages. I have came across a problem a
previous poster asked about, on July 25th
(http://makeashorterlink.com/?D23453BCB), but got no definitive answer.
The thing is: let's say I have package "whatever 1.0", and "whatever
1.1" makes it into Etch. I run "aptitude update && aptitude upgrade",
and "whatever 1.1" is found and properly "asked" for bug content by
apt-listbugs, contacting Debian BTS, or doing whatever magic it does.
If it does contain bugs, apt-listbugs will report them, and prompt me
for confirmation on going on with the instalation, aborting it, or
pinning the package (among other possibilities, IIRC).
Now, if I choose "p" (pinning it), it will write a proper line into
"/etc/apt/preferences", pinning the version that is _currently_
installed. My question is, isn't it silly? I mean, apt-listbugs gives a
high (1000) pin priority to "whatever 1.0", so that "whatever 1.1"
won't get installed (because its pin priority will be lower). That part
sounds fine, but... wouldn't it make more sense to _forbid_ "whatever
1.1"? That way, if "whatever 1.2" is ever released, maybe even fixing
the 1.1 bugs, aptitude will try to upgrade "whatever 1.0" to 1.2. If
1.2 still has bugs, or has other bugs, then fine, apt-listbugs will
report them, no harm done. But the way it is now, you will never even
get to know there is a newer version of "whatever", because you are
forever stuck with "whatever 1.0", until you modify it's pin
priority... by hand!!
What I do now (ehem, what I just decided today to do) is to
periodically delete all the pinnings from /etc/apt/preferences (by
hand), and so let apt-listbugs catch (some of) the same bugs on and on,
while the fixed packages slowly go through.
Is there a way to "fix" apt-listbugs to do what I want it to do,
instead of what it presently does? Is there any flaw in my view of how
the pinning/forbiding should be done?
TIA,
Basajaun
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