Package: apt Version: 0.6.46.4-0.1 Severity: minor
When using apt for cross-building, it is common to query the Debian mirrors for packages suitable for the host (e.g. i386) and then query the toolchain cache for packages suitable for the target (e.g. arm). It is also common to build more than one cross-build architecture on any one host, requiring frequent changes between cache files/directories. apt makes it very difficult changing architectures like this because the list files created by: apt-get -o Apt::Architecture=arm -c myconf.unstable update then get clobbered when the next command needs: apt-get -o Apt::Architecture=powerpc -c myconf.unstable update (In this example, myconf.$suite contains Dir options to set non-privileged directories, usually beneath ~/.dpkg-cross.) apt-get update is needed because apt-cache cannot switch from one architecture to another without an update. It is already necessary to have separate directory paths for each suite but the list name includes the architecture name and another arch could exist alongside. It is becoming unmanageable to have three directory paths (testing, unstable, experimental) for every architecture! That's nearly 40 separate directory trees. It is also incredibly wasteful to have to update one tree, perform a query, update a separate tree to perform a query on a different arch and then have to update the original tree again just because we've changed arch in between. These are only ever package queries, not installations. It would be so much easier if apt-cache could manage such queries directly instead of producing an error (or no results at all) when simply changing architecture without an update. -- Package-specific info: -- apt-config dump -- APT ""; APT::Architecture "powerpc"; APT::Build-Essential ""; APT::Build-Essential:: "build-essential"; Dir "/"; Dir::State "var/lib/apt/"; Dir::State::lists "lists/"; Dir::State::cdroms "cdroms.list"; Dir::State::userstatus "status.user"; Dir::State::status "/var/lib/dpkg/status"; Dir::Cache "var/cache/apt/"; Dir::Cache::archives "archives/"; Dir::Cache::srcpkgcache "srcpkgcache.bin"; Dir::Cache::pkgcache "pkgcache.bin"; Dir::Etc "etc/apt/"; Dir::Etc::sourcelist "sources.list"; Dir::Etc::sourceparts "sources.list.d"; Dir::Etc::vendorlist "vendors.list"; Dir::Etc::vendorparts "vendors.list.d"; Dir::Etc::main "apt.conf"; Dir::Etc::parts "apt.conf.d"; Dir::Etc::preferences "preferences"; Dir::Bin ""; Dir::Bin::methods "/usr/lib/apt/methods"; Dir::Bin::dpkg "/usr/bin/dpkg"; DPkg ""; DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs ""; DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs:: "/usr/bin/apt-listchanges --apt || test $? -ne 10"; DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs:: "/usr/sbin/dpkg-preconfigure --apt || true"; DPkg::Tools ""; DPkg::Tools::Options ""; DPkg::Tools::Options::/usr/bin/apt-listchanges ""; DPkg::Tools::Options::/usr/bin/apt-listchanges::Version "2"; -- (no /etc/apt/preferences present) -- -- /etc/apt/sources.list -- deb ftp://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ unstable main deb-src ftp://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ unstable main deb ftp://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ experimental main deb-src ftp://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ experimental main deb ftp://mirror.ox.ac.uk/debian/ unstable main deb-src ftp://mirror.ox.ac.uk/debian/ unstable main deb http://www.linux.codehelp.co.uk/packages unstable main deb-src http://www.linux.codehelp.co.uk/packages unstable main #deb http://www.linux.codehelp.co.uk/packages experimental main #deb-src http://www.linux.codehelp.co.uk/packages experimental main #deb-src http://mentors.debian.net/debian unstable main #deb http://www.emdebian.org/debian/ stable main #deb http://www.emdebian.org/debian/ testing main #deb-src http://www.emdebian.org/debian/ testing main deb http://www.emdebian.org/debian/ unstable main deb-src http://www.emdebian.org/debian/ unstable main -- System Information: Debian Release: 4.0 APT prefers unstable APT policy: (500, 'unstable'), (1, 'experimental') Architecture: powerpc (ppc) Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash Kernel: Linux 2.6.18-3-powerpc Locale: LANG=en_GB.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=en_GB.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8) Versions of packages apt depends on: ii debian-archive-keyring 2007.02.19 GnuPG archive keys of the Debian a ii libc6 2.3.6.ds1-13 GNU C Library: Shared libraries ii libgcc1 1:4.1.1-21 GCC support library ii libstdc++6 4.1.1-21 The GNU Standard C++ Library v3 apt recommends no packages. -- no debconf information -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
