Bug#617445: source order documentation vs. apt-cache policy

[jidanni@jidanni.org]

Package: apt
Version: 0.8.11.5
Severity: wishlist

SOURCES.LIST(5):

       It is important to list sources in order of preference, with the most
       preferred source listed first. Typically this will result in sorting by
       speed from fastest to slowest (CD-ROM followed by hosts on a local
       network, followed by distant Internet hosts, for example).

       Some examples:

           deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian squeeze main contrib non-free
           deb http://security.debian.org/ squeeze/updates main contrib non-free

Lies! Proof: apt-cache policy openoffice.org shows a different order,
and then a even different order when given no package argument.
Therefore several things are messed up or not documented on that page.

cd /etc/apt/sources.list.d/
cat *.list; apt-cache policy openoffice.org; apt-cache policy
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian testing main contrib non-free
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian experimental main contrib non-free
deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian unstable main contrib non-free
openoffice.org:
  Installed: (none)
  Candidate: 1:3.3.0-6
  Version table:
     1:3.3.0-6 0
        500 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ unstable/main i386 Packages
     1:3.2.1-11+squeeze2 0
        500 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ testing/main i386 Packages
Package files:
 100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
     release a=now
 500 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ unstable/non-free i386 Packages
     release o=Debian,a=unstable,n=sid,l=Debian,c=non-free
     origin ftp.us.debian.org
 500 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ unstable/contrib i386 Packages
     release o=Debian,a=unstable,n=sid,l=Debian,c=contrib
     origin ftp.us.debian.org
 500 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ unstable/main i386 Packages
     release o=Debian,a=unstable,n=sid,l=Debian,c=main
     origin ftp.us.debian.org
   1 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ experimental/non-free i386 Packages
     release o=Debian,a=experimental,n=experimental,l=Debian,c=non-free
     origin ftp.us.debian.org
   1 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ experimental/contrib i386 Packages
     release o=Debian,a=experimental,n=experimental,l=Debian,c=contrib
     origin ftp.us.debian.org
   1 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ experimental/main i386 Packages
     release o=Debian,a=experimental,n=experimental,l=Debian,c=main
     origin ftp.us.debian.org
 500 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ testing/non-free i386 Packages
     release o=Debian,a=testing,n=wheezy,l=Debian,c=non-free
     origin ftp.us.debian.org
 500 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ testing/contrib i386 Packages
     release o=Debian,a=testing,n=wheezy,l=Debian,c=contrib
     origin ftp.us.debian.org
 500 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ testing/main i386 Packages
     release o=Debian,a=testing,n=wheezy,l=Debian,c=main
     origin ftp.us.debian.org
Pinned packages:

Also APT-CACHE(8):
       policy [ pkg(s) ]
           policy is meant to help debug issues relating to the preferences
           file. With no arguments it will print out the priorities of each
           source. Otherwise it prints out detailed information about the
           priority selection of the named package.

should give more details about why the two's orders might be different.

Also it is a mystery about how plain "apt-cache policy" sorts its
output!