[ale] if 'dpkg' is removed, will this entirely disable all up-dating/grading & apt-getfunctions?

[James Sumners]

No, I am not saying that at all; I have said at least twice now that
everything used to download packages and install them are frontends
for dpkg. That is, apt is merely an easy way to download packages and
install them at the same time without having to know dpkg. If you
install dpkg directly, apt should download the deb for the new version
of dpkg and tell your current version of dpkg to install the new one.
Thus, dpkg should replace itself without being removed. When doing so,
you should see some text similar to "Replacing dpkg 0.1.1 with new
version..."

If you like, you can do `apt-get --download-only install dpkg` to
download the new deb for dpkg. Then, `dpkg --dry-run --install
/var/cache/apt/archives/dpkg_1.10.28_i386.deb` to check and see what
would happen. If that doesn't give any bad results, just remove the
'--dry-run' switch to actually install the new dpkg. In fact, this is
probably the better way to install the new version if want to be
doubly sure of things not going wrong.

I have a hard time believing that that you don't already have dpkg
1.10.28 installed if you did an `apt-get dist-upgrade` after changing
your sources list from referencing Woody to referencing Sarge.

On 10/23/06, Courtney Thomas <courtneycthomas at bellsouth.net> wrote:
> James,
>
> Am I correct in assuming that you are implicitly saying.....
>
> _______________________________________________________
> apt-get is independent of dpkg, and that,.....
>
> EVEN IF dpkg IS MISSING, you CAN still install dpkg with apt-get ?
> _______________________________________________________
>
>
> Regarding my travail in all this.....I am at this point taking all
> this to be a learning experience and if I can finally salvage and
> repair this system, I think I'll have a much better grasp of Debian,
> even if it's only at the operational level, which has a lot of value
> to a user, at least this one  :-)
>
> I am not discouraged and in fact am pleased at how much I've learned,
> thanks a lot to you.
>
> Cordially,
> Courtney

-- 
James Sumners
http://james.roomfullofmirrors.com/

"All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts
pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it
is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become
drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted."

Missionaria Protectiva, Text QIV (decto)
CH:D 59