Call for comments - pkg_trans

[Michel Talon]

Ivan Voras wrote:


> I apologize in advance if what I'm trying to do seems stupid or it
> has=20
> already existed since the Dawn of Time (i.e. when McKusick was in=20
> diapers) but I'd like your comments on this idea:
> 
> http://wiki.freebsd.org/IvanVoras/PkgTransProposal
> 
> I can write the pkg_trans utility and modify the C utilities
> (pkg_add,=20
> pkg_delete, if they're sane) but I can't do makefiles and ruby, so if=20
> this is to work, I'll need some help :)

I find this idea fantastic! This is much needed in the FreeBSD ports
system. In fact without such a mechanism, it is difficult to have a
reasonably good upgrade system. For example suppose you install KDE,
and as a dependency some software is installed. In a new version of KDE
this software has been abandoned and replaced by more modern stuff
(example fam -> gamin). If both still exist in the ports system,
without your mechanism, both will be upgraded regularly. Keeping state
on things which have been installed as dependencies and thus can be
removed if the dependency is no more present is necessary. Of course it
is also a convenience for the end user.

As to the necessary modifications in portupgrade, perhaps not a lot
if the basic tools (pkg_add, etc.) work correctly by themselves, since
portupgrade mainly calls these tools. But of course, injecting the above
state information in pkgdb.db would perhaps be useful.





-- 

Michel TALON