On Mon, Nov 08, 2004 at 01:23:54PM -0800, James Kirk wrote:
> > The correct way to keep a package in its current
> > uninstalled form is
> > *not* to put in on hold.
>
> Can you point to the documentation that says this is
> the correct way to keep a package in its current
> state?
I'll express myself more clearly:
- If you have installed a package and you want to keep it in its
current state: mark it `on hold'.
- If you have a package that you don't want to have installed, no
matter what its current state is: mark it `remove' or `purge'.
Now let's see what we can find in the docs.
`man dselect' says:
Current and requested selections:
* marked for installation or upgrade;
- marked for removal, configuration files remain;
= on hold: package will not be processed at all;
_ marked for purge, also remove configuration;
n package is new and has yet to be marked.
I guess that means that putting a not yet installed, unwanted package
on hold could work just fine. Personally I would still mark it for
purge, as that signals more clearly that you don't want this
package. To me, marking a package on hold signals that you consider it
special and want to know it if some other package wishes to install it
or upgrade it. Dselect may feel the same way.
But no matter how you mark a package A, there could still be a package
B that depends on it and overrules your marking, presenting you with a
conflict resolution screen. You said that there were only
recommendations and suggestions in this case, so the behaviour you
describe indeed seems strange.
> > The first time dselect
> > presents you with a
> > recommended or suggested package that you don't
> > want, simply decline
> > to install it. Next time dselect should not ask that
> > question again.
>
> Nope. Have you tried this ? It certainly doesn't
> work on my system. That is the reason I thought I
> would give the "hold" state a try.
Yes, I have tried this and it works on my system.
Again, can you mail the result of the following command?
dpkg -l tetex-bin texi2html gramofile mctools-lite cddb dselect
And while you are at it, also give the result of:
uname -a
And include the contents of the file /etc/apt/apt.conf for good
measure.
--
Maurits van Rees | http://maurits.vanrees.org/ [Dutch/Nederlands]
"Let your advance worrying become advance thinking and planning."
- Winston Churchill
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