Bug#625801: apt should allow remove package depended on by metapackage and keep metapackage
On Fri, 2011-05-06 at 10:33 +0200, David Kalnischkies wrote:
> package apt
> severity 625801 wishlist
> tags 625801 wontfix
> thanks
>
> On Fri, May 6, 2011 at 05:02, Joshua <joshudson@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Today this came up: there is no good reason for gnome-desktop to depend on evolution.
> > Another one in bug list: Bug#563712
>
> If that is your impression, you shouldn't install the metapackage.
> And equally important, i don't see in which way it helps to report
> this "no good reason" bug against APT as it doesn't have this dependency…
>
> As the bug you refer to already said, it doesn't carry any functionality -
> its just a mix of packages the maintainer has chosen (maybe in agreement
> with upstream) as a default if the user doesn't exactly know what he or she
> should choose. If you know it, then feel free to ignore metapackages.
>
> APT isn't going to ignore dependencies of a package - it is the whole point
> of APT to *not* ignore them. So please fight a war with the maintainer and/or
> upstream of the metapackage in question and convenience them that their
> choice is bad - good luck with that -, that they should use an or-group or
> should downgrade to Recommends or or or, but don't request that APT should
> stop doing what it was programmed for…
>
>
> I should have closed the bug, but as it comes up from time to time,
> maybe it helps if we leave it open with a big wontfix, as it's not a bug,
> but a central feature…
We also have
#431737: apt: Enable APT::Never-MarkAuto-Sections for
metapackages, once section is added
which is blocked by (ftp.debian.org's)
#574851: Please introduce a 'metapackages' section.
This specific instance is wontfix, the solution we have is documented
and could be implemented in the archive anytime.
--
Julian Andres Klode - Debian Developer, Ubuntu Member
See http://wiki.debian.org/JulianAndresKlode and http://jak-linux.org/.
Reply to: