Package: apt Version: 0.7.11 Severity: normal
apt-get (and aptitude) needs an option for only installing hard dependencies. That is, those dependencies that must be satisfied or the package can't work. Something like --no-recommended. I consider this a bug, not merely a wishlist item, because: * Current apt install not only the needed extra packages, but "recommended" but not really necessary packages as well. This is easy to see as the unwanted packages can be removed later without also removing the package I wanted. * This is a problem when installing small embedded machines. The current workaround is to delete all unwanted packages later, but that is cumbersome when a single apt-get may pull in a couple of unneeded packages that depends on 20-30 other unwanted packages. And it is a waste of bandwidth and time too. Example: I installed a machine that is mostly a router, but it also runs gpsd so I can see where it is. Unfortunately, installing "gpsd" pull in "gpsd-clients", which has dependencies on x11-common and a whole lot of other X-related packages. But this machine does not run X! So I had to delete all those packages manually later. And so on for some other software as well, and so on when upgrading . . . Now, I understand that most people will want gpsd-clients along with gpsd, so having this as default behaviour is fine with me. But having the ability to do "apt-get install --no-recommended gpsd" and _only_ get gpsd and libgps17 would be ideal. Another possible workaround that avoids bandwith wasting is to download packages one by one and install using dpkg. That is very cumbersome for packages that has many dependencies - exactly the reason for having "apt" in the first place. Helge Hafting -- Package-specific info: -- apt-config dump -- APT ""; APT::Architecture "amd64"; APT::Build-Essential ""; APT::Build-Essential:: "build-essential"; APT::Install-Recommends "1"; APT::Install-Suggests "0"; APT::Acquire ""; APT::Acquire::Translation "environment"; APT::Cache-Limit "141943904"; APT::NeverAutoRemove ""; APT::NeverAutoRemove:: "^linux-image.*"; APT::NeverAutoRemove:: "^linux-restricted-modules.*"; Dir "/"; Dir::State "var/lib/apt/"; Dir::State::lists "lists/"; Dir::State::cdroms "cdroms.list"; Dir::State::userstatus "status.user"; Dir::State::status "/var/lib/dpkg/status"; Dir::Cache "var/cache/apt/"; Dir::Cache::archives "archives/"; Dir::Cache::srcpkgcache "srcpkgcache.bin"; Dir::Cache::pkgcache "pkgcache.bin"; Dir::Etc "etc/apt/"; Dir::Etc::sourcelist "sources.list"; Dir::Etc::sourceparts "sources.list.d"; Dir::Etc::vendorlist "vendors.list"; Dir::Etc::vendorparts "vendors.list.d"; Dir::Etc::main "apt.conf"; Dir::Etc::parts "apt.conf.d"; Dir::Etc::preferences "preferences"; Dir::Bin ""; Dir::Bin::methods "/usr/lib/apt/methods"; Dir::Bin::dpkg "/usr/bin/dpkg"; Dir::Log "var/log/apt"; Dir::Log::Terminal "term.log"; DPkg ""; DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs ""; DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs:: "/usr/sbin/apt-listbugs apt || exit 10"; DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs:: "/usr/sbin/dpkg-preconfigure --apt || true"; DPkg::Tools ""; DPkg::Tools::Options ""; DPkg::Tools::Options::/usr/sbin/apt-listbugs ""; DPkg::Tools::Options::/usr/sbin/apt-listbugs::Version "2"; DPkg::Post-Invoke ""; DPkg::Post-Invoke:: "if [ -x /usr/bin/debsums ]; then /usr/bin/debsums --generate=nocheck -sp /var/cache/apt/archives; fi"; -- /etc/apt/preferences -- Package: * Pin: release a=testing Pin-Priority: 900 Package: * Pin: release a=unstable Pin-Priority: 800 Package: * Pin: release a=experimental Pin-Priority: 700 Package: * Pin: release o=Debian Pin-Priority: -10 -- /etc/apt/sources.list -- #sid=testing, sarge=unstable før. #sarge=stable nå. #firefox-problemet? #Stable fins ikke for amd64 - ennå deb http://ftp.no.debian.org/debian/ stable main contrib non-free deb http://ftp.no.debian.org/debian testing main contrib non-free deb http://ftp.no.debian.org/debian/ unstable main contrib non-free deb http://ftp.no.debian.org/debian/ experimental main contrib non-free #deb-src http://amd64.debian.net/debian/ testing main contrib non-free #deb-src http://ftp.no.debian.org/debian/ testing main contrib non-free #Initng #deb http://debian.space-based.de/debs/ experimental main #Site down??? ##Blackdown java: ##deb ftp://ftp.tux.org/java/debian/ testing non-free #Ubuntu-pakker for xorg #deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hoary main restricted universe multiverse #Dessverre bare for i386 :-( #vlc, libdvdcss2 #deb http://download.videolan.org/pub/videolan/debian sid main #deb http://nightlies.videolan.org/build/sid-amd64/arch sid main #error #deb http://nightlies.videolan.org/build/sid-amd64/arch ./ #Site down??? ##Multimediating, som f.eks. vlc-greier #deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org testing main #deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org experimental main #deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org stable main #unstable er et spesialtilfelle: #404 #deb http://spello.sscnet.ucla.edu/marillat/ sid main #error #deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org sid main -- System Information: Debian Release: lenny/sid APT prefers testing APT policy: (900, 'testing'), (800, 'unstable'), (700, 'experimental') Architecture: amd64 (x86_64) Kernel: Linux 2.6.25.4 (SMP w/4 CPU cores) Locale: LANG=nb_NO.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=nb_NO.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8) Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash Versions of packages apt depends on: ii debian-archive-keyring 2008.04.16+nmu1 GnuPG archive keys of the Debian a ii libc6 2.7-10 GNU C Library: Shared libraries ii libgcc1 1:4.3.0-3 GCC support library ii libstdc++6 4.3.0-3 The GNU Standard C++ Library v3 apt recommends no packages. -- debconf-show failed -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". 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