[csw-maintainers] Packages that require either package A or package B'

[Ben Walton]

Excerpts from Philip Brown's message of Thu May 21 16:30:09 -0400 2009:
> On Thu, May 21, 2009 at 01:23:49PM -0700, Philip Brown wrote:
> > I doubt that debian does it any better.
> > For example, lets say that you were installing... [foo], which depended on
> >  "mysql|postgres", and you had BOTH installed.
> > 
> > You chose to install it using mysql.
> > Then later, you choose to remove mysql, but postgres is still there.
> > 
> > does apt-get/aptitude somehow register that you chose mysql specifically
> > for package [foo], 
> > and complains about the removal?
> > I am scheptical about this.
> 
> btw; we could do this sort of check for ourselves, via the suggested
> "dbwrapper" set of tools.
> If we agree that packages that use the dbwrapper tools, also have to
> 'register' which database they end up using, then that database can
> check the registration, and warn about programs using it, at pkgrm time.

I just did a quick check on a debian box here.  The gallery2 app
depends on mysql-client|postgresql-client.  With only the mysql
version installed, it indicated gallery2 would be removed.  Installing
postgresql-client and then removing mysql-client triggered other
dependency warnings, but not the gallery2 one.

I was thinking the same, that a postinstall hook could register which
package satisfied the dependency, thus creating something the package
manager could use later....

Anyway, as I mentioned, the dbwrapper approach is likely suffiecient
for this purpose...I wasn't intended to open a large debate.

-Ben
-- 
Ben Walton
Systems Programmer - CHASS
University of Toronto
C:416.407.5610 | W:416.978.4302

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