Derrick 'dman' Hudson writes: > So what's the problem? The problem is > > $ apt-cache show python2.3 | grep Depends | head -1 > Depends: libbz2-1.0, libc6 (>= 2.3.2-1), libdb4.1, > libncurses5 (>= 5.3.20030510-1), libreadline4 (>= 4.3-1), > libssl0.9.7, zlib1g (>= 1:1.1.4), python (>= 2.3) > ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ > > This wasn't an issue until Matthias added that versioned dependency on > 'python' in response to bug #204748. In so doing, he has prevented > people from having the fully functioning 'python' package (version > 2.2) installed alongside the fully functioning 'python2.3' package and > use libraries with the version of python that they are currently > available for. > > IMO there should not be a pythonX.Y -> python dependency. Instead, > the problem reported in bug #204748 can be solved by requiring all > pythonX.Y related packages to use /usr/bin/pythonX.Y instead of > /usr/bin/python. Only packages which depend directly on 'python' can > use /usr/bin/python.
If we don't have this "back" dependency, then we cannot make sure, that the unversioned dependency is installed at all. The reason for the unversioned packages was to provide a user with the "python" binary. If the dependency is made "python" without "(>= 2.3)", then it's not clear which version get's installed. I think this will be a non-issue after the transition is done. > PS. Thanks, Matthias, for providing the 2.3 packages so early! I > really enjoyed having it available! yes, but only because the release was scheduled for the "beginning of 2003" :-) But it's certainly useful to make these kind of packages for the alpha releases. Matthias