On Sun, Nov 02, 2003 at 08:34:13PM -0500, Andres Salomon wrote: > [EMAIL PROTECTED]:~$ apt-cache show procps | grep Priority > Priority: required > [EMAIL PROTECTED]:~$ sudo apt-get remove procps > Reading Package Lists... Done > Building Dependency Tree... Done > The following packages will be REMOVED: > keychain ppp pppconfig pppoe pppoeconf procps > 0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 6 to remove and 0 not upgraded. > Need to get 0B of archives. > After unpacking 1885kB disk space will be freed. > Do you want to continue? [Y/n] > > According to policy (section 2.5), required packages are: > Packages which are necessary for the proper functioning of the > system. You must not remove these packages or your system may become > totally broken and you may not even be able to use dpkg to put > things back. Systems with only the required packages are probably > unusable, but they do have enough functionality to allow the > sysadmin to boot and install more software. > > Given the description, I'm of the opinion that apt should warn about > removal of required packages. This could be done similar to the way > removal of essential packages are handled:
Given the description, perhaps, but in practice apt's behaviour is correct. The only packages that apt is unusually cautious about are Essential packages, because other packages will have undeclared dependencies on them. If any package on your system has a dependency on a Priority: required package, it must be declared, and so apt can handle things fine. I don't know why the policy manual says that you may not be able to use dpkg, because it certainly should be possible to use dpkg without any non-essential packages. That paragraph even goes on to say that there is enough functionality to allow the sysadmin to boot and install more software. The complete list of packages with Priority: required which are not Essential: yes (for woody) is: dijkstra:[~/src/apt] apt-cache dumpavail | grep-dctrl -FPriority required | grep-dctrl -v -FEssential -nsPackage yes libcap1 libdb2 libdb3 libncurses5 libpam-modules libpam-runtime libpam0g libreadline4 libstdc++2.10-glibc2.2 makedev mawk mbr modutils passwd procps slang1 libc6 libperl5.6 I'm not sure why libc6 is not essential, but since it is depended upon by essential packages, it is promoted to essential status anyway. Nothing else on that list would prevent things like dpkg from working. I'm copying debian-policy to see if there is some rationale for that definition that I am not aware of. > [EMAIL PROTECTED]:~$ sudo apt-get remove apt > Reading Package Lists... Done > Building Dependency Tree... Done > The following packages will be REMOVED: > apt apt-utils base-config gnome gnome-apt > WARNING: The following essential packages will be removed > This should NOT be done unless you know exactly what you are doing! > apt > 0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 5 to remove and 0 not upgraded. > Need to get 0B of archives. > After unpacking 4366kB disk space will be freed. > You are about to do something potentially harmful > To continue type in the phrase 'Yes, do as I say!' > ?] I believe apt internally promotes its own status, so that it isn't inadvertently broken. -- - mdz
