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Re: Debian safe-upgrade to 6.0.2 - don't run within X session



Scott Ferguson:
> On 28/06/11 00:54, Jochen Schulz wrote:
>> 
>> No, dist-upgrades aren't different.
> 
> If you believe that then file a bug report.
> 
> ref: man apt-get

Apparently we are talking at cross-purposes, but your quote doesn't
refute my claim: apt-get's upgrade and dist-upgrade only differ in
dependency resolution. The upgrade process *of individual packages* is
always the same.

> eg. if package a-0.0 is to be replaced with a-0.1 it'll be an "upgrade".
> if package a-0.0 is deprecated and it's function is being replaced with
> b-0.0 it'll be a dist-upgrade.
> 
> There is a difference.

True. And I can imagine that in very few cases that leads to experiences
like the OP's. But I wouldn't attribute that to apt-get's mode of
operation. If a postinst script demands a restart of the login manager,
it does so regardless of how apt was called.

> The mechanism for installing packages has no bearing on the severity of
> changes made by the process (the likely hood of disruption to core
> services).

That's exactly what I wanted to point out.

> upgrade is mild, dist-upgrade can be radical. In "theory"
> (apt-get) upgrade should make only minor disruptions.

I don't think this distinction is helpful. You can have two systems with
a different set of packages installed, one needs a dist-upgrade for
a-0.1 to be installed, another one just needs a simple upgrade.

That doesn't mean people should make a habit of regularly using
dist-upgrades. That only leads to questions like "Why did apt-get remove
my whole desktop!?".

From a (sid) user's point of view, the main difference between upgrade
and dist-upgrade is that an upgrade doesn't require as much attention as
a dist-upgrade. On my sid laptop, I run update && upgrade once or twice
a day, and the only thing I actually look at is whether the upgrade
contains packages I care about and most of the time I skim over the
output to spot errors.

J.
-- 
I am no longer prepared to give you the benefit of the doubt.
[Agree]   [Disagree]
                 <http://www.slowlydownward.com/NODATA/data_enter2.html>

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