On Fri, Jul 26, 2019 at 07:58:13AM -0000, Curt wrote: > On 2019-07-26, davidson <david...@freevolt.org> wrote: > >>> > >>> How can we persuade the Debian bsdmainutils package maintainers to > >>> allow the Linux version of column to be shipped? > >> > >> Can't they all get along by using /etc/alternatives? > > > > I don't think file collisions are the kind of thing the debian > > alternatives system is meant to solve. > > > > It seems to me /etc/alternatives provides a mechanism by which you can > choose a default among two or more programs with similar functions. > > The problem here appears to be that both packages provide a utility that > shares the same name (column), which violates Debian policy (according > to Andreas Henriksson in the referenced bug report). > > That this stumbling block presents an insurmountable challenge to the > development community defies the intellectual capacities of your > admittedly naive correspondent.
It's not insurmountable. The package maintainers simply have to work together and decide how to handle the situation. If both of them rename their "column" commands, then the alternatives system can be employed.
