Re: Bug#65262: apt is being too smart about dependencies
severity 65262 normal
--
This isn't a wish. This is a design flaw. No tool should ever force
it's will upon the user. If there was no way to select the feature I'm
talking about, then it would be a wish. However, there _is_ a way to
do it (just hit "Q" in dselect). That makes it a bug. It is deliberately
going against the settings of it's driving package: deselect.
> > > Basically, you can't do that. This is not something it can reasonably deal
> > > with. I think there are other bugs reports to this effect..
>
> > This is a valid problem! If an admin chooses to directly force a package
> > install, then apt needs to honor that decision. This bug should not
> > be closed.
>
> There is no way to directly force anything with the dpkg system. You can
> wedge a package into some weird state using --forcing options [which leave
> no record], but the natural behavior of *all* the tools is to fix that
> somehow. dpkg --configure -a tries to configure all unconfigured packages,
> dselect tries to remove/install new dependencies to fix missing ones, etc.
I understand the reasons behind why it does what is does. For the most part,
apt is operating in the best interests of the user. However, when an admin
explicitly does something, a "tool" should not try to undo it.
If your word processor always capitalized the first word of a sentance because
that's what is normally done, you'd scream bloody murder when there came a
time you didn't want that.
Dselect provides a way to override it's suggestions. Apt should honor that.
> That is how it works and there isn't much to be done.
Patient: Doctor, doctor! It hurts when I do this!
Doctor: Then don't do that.
This is not a valid arguement, I'm afraid. Of course something can be done!
Software is infinitely flexible.
> For you ssh problem I recommend simply editing the status file and
> removing the offending dependency. Alternatively you could use something
> like equivs -- if dpkg supported versions provides.
I can work around it by not using apt, too. That's not the point.
Brian
( bcwhite@precidia.com )
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Tired of spam? See what you can do to fight it at: http://www.cauce.org/
Reply to: