[ale] Favorite distros

[Joseph A. Knapka]

Charles Marcus wrote:
> 
> > From: Michael Hirsch [mailto:mhirsch at nubridges.com]
> > Sent: Monday, August 26, 2002 4:16 PM
> >
> >> If package A depends on package B, which depends on package
> >> C, then if you remove C, both A and B are broken. It seems
> >> to me that both should be removed. But you seem to be saying
> >> that the dependency-checking should only look one level
> >> deep, so to speak. Why?
> 
> > I don't think that is what he is describing.  If A depends on B and C,
> > and nothing else needs B, but D need C, too, then A and B will be
> > removed, but not C.

Erg. So if I say to the machine, "emerge unmerge C", it will
refuse to do so? That can't be what you mean.

What Charles said a minute ago makes sense (where A<---B ==
"Package B will not function without package A"):

C<---B<---A
     |
D<---+

D<--Q

If I say, "emerge unmerge B", what should happen?

Clearly A should go, because it won't work without B.

Less clearly, but still desirable IMO, C should go, because
nothing on the system is now using it. However, folks on
a slow link might want C to stick around, because they
might have only uninstalled B in order to install
WhizBangBReplacement (in which case they want A to stay
to, and so shouldn't be using reverse dependencies
anyway).

And clearly, too, D must stay, because Q won't work
without it.

I think I've got it :-)

Cheers,

-- Joe
  "I'd rather chew my leg off than maintain Java code, which
   sucks, 'cause I have a lot of Java code to maintain and
   the leg surgery is starting to get expensive." - Me

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