Bug#184536: apt: build dependcies cannot be satisfied when dependencies exist
On Mon, 17 Mar 2003, Filip Van Raemdonck wrote:
> On Sun, Mar 16, 2003 at 11:34:24PM -0500, Faheem Mitha wrote:
> > In gmane.linux.debian.apt.devel, you wrote:
> > > In gmane.linux.debian.apt.devel, you wrote:
> > >>
> > >> When I try to run "apt-get build-dep <src-pkg>", I get an error
> > >> message. This makes it very difficult to build almost any package
> > >> automatically. I pretty sure this didn't happen with 0.5.4.
> > >>
> > >> bmc@stonewall:/tmp/gnome-lokkit-0.50% sudo apt-get build-dep gnome-lokkit
> (...)
> > >> E: Build-Depends dependency for gnome-lokkit cannot be satisfied because no=
> > >> available versions of package automake can satisfy version requirements
> > >
> > > If you want to build your program, change the line in debian/control
> > > to one of automake1.4, automake1.5, automake1.6, automake1.7. I'd go
> > > with 1.4 since this is the version on stable.
> >
> > I'm sorry. automake1.4 etc. clearly says
> >
> > Provides: automake
> >
> > So automake still exists as a virtual package. I think "apt-get
> > build-depends" has some problems handling virtual packages. Clearly
> > this bug does belong to apt. Please ignore my earlier comment.
>
> Actually, it's illustrated, somewhere, that you (read: a package) should
> say "Depends: foopackage | virtual-foo", indicating a preferred - or a
> random if all are equally preferred - package providing the virtual
> package.
I can't see any support for this in Policy. Section 7.4 seems to
suggest the above syntax is Ok. I cannot see where it demands a
particular package be mentioned after the virtual package. Can you
show me where Policy says this should be done?
> I think this is precisely because apt refuses to pick for you.
> And note my choice of words: refuses; I was told this is deliberately (not
> by Jason though, so the question is whether whoever told me so was
> authorative on the issue)
Hmm. The apt-get man page says
"build-dep
build-dep causes apt-get to install/remove packages in an
attempt to satisfy the build dependencies for a source packages. Right now
virtual package build depends choose a package at random."
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
So the man page does not seem to agree with that. If what you say it
true, it should be documented. If I could understand the source code,
that would be the best possible source, of course. :-)
(I'm still looking at the old man page (for 0.5.4) though. I believe it has
been recently rewritten.)
In any case, if what you say is true, then every time a `pure' virtual
build depend is mentioned there would be a problem with "apt-get
build-depend".
> But in any case it means that there is a minor FTBFS bug in gnome-lokkit.
I think the above needs to be clarified before any bugs are
filed. Based on the documentation it still looks like a bug in apt to
me.
Faheem.
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