> > Maybe if the length/version is different, then a symlink could be > > created in the store pointing to the new dependency, with a > > name/version that matches the length of the original dependency's > > store name? Perhaps this new name/version could be something like > > /gnu/store/...-original-dependency-name-gggggg, where 'g..' matches > > the length of the version of the original dependency. The many 'g's > > would make it clear that it is a graft. Then if someone looks in > > the store, they would see it's a symlink too. > > That only works if the new name is shorter than the old name though. > When the new name is longer (which is a more common case in our > experience when introducing package replacements, typically because > the new version string is longer), nothing can be done.
I'm confused about what you mean. Why would it matter if the new name is longer than the old name?
