Re: APT and Versioned Obsoletes

On Wed, Aug 18, 2004 at 02:08:01PM +0300, Panu Matilainen wrote:
> On Wed, 18 Aug 2004, Jeff Pitman wrote:
> 
> > I'm running apt-0.5.15cnc6 and have notice a strange behavior with using 
> > Obsoletes.  It appears that APT does not support versioned Obsoletes:
> > 
> > Obsoletes: python = 2.2.2
> > 
> > I have this tag in a package named python22.  Then, I have another 
> > package named python that:
> > 
> > Provides: python = 2.3.4
> > 
> > This order works:
> > 
> > 1. apt-get install python22
> > 2. apt-get install python
> > 
> > This order does not:
> > 
> > 1. apt-get install python
> > 2. apt-get install python22		# silently removes python
> > 
> > If you did the first order and then:
> > 
> > $ apt-get install --reinstall python22
> > 
> > It will also silently remove python.  So, I tend to think that Apt's 
> > Obsoletes check is not versioned, but only looks at the package.  Is it 
> > possible to rectify this?
> 
> Mmm... isn't that the rpm "feature" in action that was discussed by you,
> Axel and others on repo-coord
> (http://lists.atrpms.net/pipermail/repo-coord/2004-August/000357.html)
> or did I just grossly overlook something? :)

Yes, that's newer rpms do have this nice "feature" that effectively
turn any versioned Provides to a versioned Obsoletes, e.g.

Provides: foo = bar implies Obsoletes: foo <= bar

Why this was defined as a wanted features, I don't know, it looks
quite broken to me, as there are valid cases, where a Provides should
not imply an Obsoletes, like in the case of allowing multiple versions
of the same package to exist. :(

Anyway the workaround is to not use versioned Provides, but either
conglomerated Provides like

Provides: foo-bar

or setting up dependencies on versioned folders ... :/

Wrt apt: It would be nice if apt were aware about the fact of implicit
Obsoletes for rpm >=  4.2.1 (?) and display that this package
will be removed. It has bitten quite a lot of folks :(
-- 
Axel.Thimm at ATrpms.net

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