Bug#637512: apt: [apt-cache] the policy command - make nolocking=true default

[Jari Aalto <jari.aalto@cante.net>]

Package: apt
Version: 0.8.15.5
Severity: wishlist


(1)

$ apt-cache policy debian-policy

  dpkg: error: dpkg status database is locked by another process

(2)

$ apt-cache -o Debug::nolocking=true policy debian-policy

  debian-policy:
    Installed: 3.9.2.0
    Candidate: 3.9.2.0
    Package pin: (not found)
    Version table:
   *** 3.9.2.0 1001
	  990 http://ftp.se.debian.org/debian/ testing/main amd64 Packages
	  100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

SUGGESTION

If there is another dpkg process running, some commands cannot be used
without explicit guidance from user. However, I don't believe "policy"
command ever has a need to lock a dpkg database for itself; I
assume that it only queries the data.

Please consider making the "nolocking" default for this command to
help making the policy command easier even when other processes are
running.

-- Package-specific info:

-- (/etc/apt/preferences present, but not submitted) --


-- (/etc/apt/sources.list present, but not submitted) --


-- System Information:
Debian Release: wheezy/sid
  APT prefers testing
  APT policy: (990, 'testing'), (1, 'experimental')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.38-2-amd64 (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_DK.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_DK.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash

Versions of packages apt depends on:
ii  debian-archive-keyring  2010.08.28       GnuPG archive keys of the Debian a
ii  gnupg                   1.4.11-3         GNU privacy guard - a free PGP rep
ii  libc6                   2.13-10          Embedded GNU C Library: Shared lib
ii  libgcc1                 1:4.6.1-4        GCC support library
ii  libstdc++6              4.6.1-4          GNU Standard C++ Library v3
ii  zlib1g                  1:1.2.3.4.dfsg-3 compression library - runtime

apt recommends no packages.

Versions of packages apt suggests:
pn  apt-doc                       <none>     (no description available)
ii  aptitude                      0.6.3-4    terminal-based package manager (te
ii  bzip2                         1.0.5-6    high-quality block-sorting file co
ii  dpkg-dev                      1.16.0.3   Debian package development tools
pn  lzma                          <none>     (no description available)
ii  python-apt                    0.8.0      Python interface to libapt-pkg

-- debconf-show failed