On Thu, Mar 15, 2001 at 03:00:14AM +0100, Wichert Akkerman wrote:
> Previously Julian Gilbey wrote:
> > 7.2 Binary dependencies
> > This section states that "All but Pre-Depends and Conflicts take
> > effect only when a package is to be configured." But actually,
> > dpkg appears to ignore everything except for (Pre-)Depends,
> > (sometimes) Recommends and Conflicts. So what should this say?
>
> It should say what it currently says.
But what does it mean for a "suggests to take effect"?
> > 7.2 Depends: should also mention "or if it is required by the
> > postinst, prerm or postrm scripts".
>
> Remove postrm from there, that can't rely on the Depends being present.
So we should say that somewhere; it's probably important:
The postrm must not depend on any non-essential package.
> > 7.5 States:
> > Virtual packages (Section 7.4, `Virtual packages - `Provides'') are
> > not considered when looking at a `Replaces' field - the packages
> > declared as being replaced must be mentioned by their real names.
> > But does it in a Provides/Conflicts/Replaces scenario, as
> > described in 7.5.2?
>
> P/C/R is really a special case.
OK, so then the opening paragraph needs clarifying, eg, something like
"(Note that the P/C/R case described in 7.5.2 is a special case in
which virtual packages are considered.)"
> > 7.5.1 States:
> > In the future `dpkg' will discard files which would overwrite those
> > from an already installed package which declares that it replaces the
> > package being installed. This is so that you can install an older
> > version of a package without problems.
> > Has this now happened?
>
> What do you mean? This has always been true.
That's what the text currently says, taken straight from the old
packaging manual, AFAIK.
So should the text read just: "`dpkg' discards files which ..."?
> > Chapter 9
> > Should mention that ld.so might actually be ld-linux.so or
> > something else instead.
>
> It could be anything basically, especially if you start thinking about
> Debian GNU/HURD or BSD versions.
Agreed, so we should say something about this, perhaps only in a
footnote.
> > 9.2.2 Should say what dpkg-shlibdeps actually does if we're going to
> > say anything at all.
>
> The footnote should be zapped and the merged into the real text. What
> it says won't be entirely correct either once I replace dpkg-shlibdeps
> with the python versions.
Agreed. This is yet another place where the current policy is
describing tools rather than policy.
> > 9.2.* Do we need /etc/dpkg/shlibs.default any longer?
>
> Yes.
OK.
> > 10.1.2: Surely directories should be removed by postrm, not prerm?
> > (Prerm may not always be called, eg if a package disappears.)
>
> Either might happen.
What do you mean? Maybe I wasn't clear. The text suggests that
directories in /usr/local must not be in the .deb, but must be created
in the postinst and removed in the prerm; I asked why the prerm and
not the postrm. Actually, there is a reason: the postrm may not be
called if there's an error-unwind situation.
Which is better to do: prerm, postrm or leave it up to the maintainer?
> 10.3.1: needs to be rewritten for LSB complience which defines
> specific runlevels.
OK, if you can give some pointers or details, that would be good.
> > 10.3.2: Hard question:
> > Not all of start, stop, restart etc. are relevant for everything
> > in /etc/init.d, for example checkfs.sh. We should figure out a
> > way of distinguishing between daemons (which should accept all of
> > these) and specific startup/shutdown scripts (which needn't).
>
> Daemon or non-daemon is a really bad measure.
Fine. Do you have any ideas of what the measure should be? I don't.
I just know we need one.
> > 10.3.2: Should "The start, stop, restart and force-reload options
> > should be supported" be replaced by "must be supported",
> > contingent on the above suggestion?
>
> I don't think force-relead must be supported, restart already does
> the same thing. The other three should be a must though.
OK.
Julian
--
=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Julian Gilbey, Dept of Maths, Queen Mary, Univ. of London
Debian GNU/Linux Developer, see http://people.debian.org/~jdg
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