Re: Why is /var/lib/apt/lists not in /var/cache?
On Sat 16 Dec 2023 at 12:50:51 (-0500), Stefan Monnier wrote:
> David Wright [2023-12-16 11:30:01] wrote:
> > On Sat 16 Dec 2023 at 10:59:48 (-0500), Stefan Monnier wrote:
> >> AFAICT, all of `/var/lib/apt/lists` is made of files fetched from
> >> repositories, which APT will re-fetch if missing.
> >> So, it sounds to me like it belongs in `/var/cache/apt/lists`, really.
> >> What am I missing? Or is it just a historical accident?
> >
> > This may not answer your question, but when you fetch new lists,
> > they aren't the same as what was there before, and don't actually
> > match your system until you upgrade it.
>
> AFAIK those lists aren't supposed to "match your system", are they?
> IIUC they just keep a local copy of the repository's list.
Whether it's considered necessary or desirable depends on the
user and what they use the lists for (apart from the obvious).
> Admittedly if I `apt update` today, and then a week from now I delete
> the lists and do `apt update` again I won't get the same files.
> But similar, if I delete one of the files in
> `/var/cache/apt/archive`, there's no guarantee that I'll be able to
> re-download this exact file next week (tho I guess
> https://snapshot.debian.org/ might still make it possible if you want it
> badly enough).
Some packages will stay the same for years, but in the past week
I can see four occasions when changes in list contents have occurred
on oldstable. So there's little similarity.
Cheers,
David.
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