[ale] linus doesn't like Debian?

[James Sumners]

I don't understand your point. Are you complaining that apt-get won't
hold your hand when it finds broken packages? What if that broken
packages was libc6 (it happens, trust me)? Would you really want your
dpkg frontend telling you "The following actions will resolve these
dependences: \ Remove the following packages: \ libc6"? I certainly
wouldn't.

I don't know how "smart" aptitude is; I've never used it. I prefer
using apt and dpkg so I know what is happening and can fix things
myself when they go wrong. If doing `apt-get dist-upgrade` is going to
break things, then it shouldn't be done. The only time such a scenario
should occur is when doing a dist-upgrade from the stable branch to
testing, unstable, or experimental. At least, when running Debian.

On 8/23/07, Brian Pitts <brian at polibyte.com> wrote:
> Preston Boyington wrote:
> >> 'aptitude dist-upgrade' ranks and presents several options to resolve
> >> dependency problems. 'apt-get dist-upgrade' gives up.
> >
> > hmmm, maybe i haven't had this problem?  can't recall a dist-upgrade
> > giving up on my in recent memory.  maybe if there was some type of
> > version conflict with what was installed and what it believed was
> > available.  again, haven't had this problem recently.
>
> Below is a trivial example of the different behaviors. I'm running
> Ubuntu Gutsy, which isn't due for release until October, on my laptop.
>
> brian at dell:~$ sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
> Reading package lists... Done
> Building dependency tree
> Reading state information... Done
> Calculating upgrade... Done
> The following packages have been kept back:
>    linux-backports-modules-generic
> The following packages will be upgraded:
>    tasksel tasksel-data
> 2 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 1 not upgraded.
> Need to get 96.8kB of archives.
> After unpacking 0B of additional disk space will be used.
> Do you want to continue [Y/n]? n
> Abort.
>
> brian at dell:~$ sudo aptitude dist-upgrade
> Reading package lists... Done
> Building dependency tree
> Reading state information... Done
> Reading extended state information
> Initializing package states... Done
> Building tag database... Done
> The following packages are BROKEN:
>    linux-backports-modules-generic
> The following packages will be upgraded:
>    tasksel tasksel-data
> 3 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
> Need to get 122kB of archives. After unpacking 0B will be used.
> The following packages have unmet dependencies:
>    linux-backports-modules-generic: Depends:
> linux-backports-modules-2.6.22-10-generic which is a virtual package.
> Resolving dependencies...
> The following actions will resolve these dependencies:
>
> Keep the following packages at their current version:
> linux-backports-modules-generic [2.6.20.16.28.1 (now)]
>
> Score is 120
>
> Accept this solution? [Y/n/q/?] n
> Resolving dependencies...
> The following actions will resolve these dependencies:
>
> Remove the following packages:
> linux-backports-modules-generic
>
> Score is 119
>
> Accept this solution? [Y/n/q/?] n
> Resolving dependencies...
>
> *** No more solutions available ***
>
> The following actions will resolve these dependencies:
>
> Remove the following packages:
> linux-backports-modules-generic
>
> Score is 119
>
> Accept this solution? [Y/n/q/?] q
> Abandoning all efforts to resolve these dependencies.
> Abort.
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-- 
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