Package: dpkg Version: 1.15.3.1 Severity: wishlist In bug#542095, I think the right solution is to make it possible for the user to specify "overrides" on package dependencies (e.g. to say "install gnome, but ignore the dependency on network-manager").
The idea is the following: normally, hard-dependencies represent situations where the other package is absolutely needed for the package to work properly. Now, clearly sometimes this rule requires interpretation to decide whether it's really a hard dependency or just a recommends. In the case of meta-packages, hard-dependencies are actually pretty much never true. So it'd be OK for a power-user to decide not to install the dependency. I can see several ways to provide such a feature. An easy one would be to alow users to shoot themselves in the foot and override *any* dependency. A more discriminating one could let the user only do it for those dependencies known to be a bit soft (e.g. the dependencies of meta-packages, or other dependencies specially specified as such; that would be halfway between a hard dependency and a "recommends"), so a user could for example remove "hal" while still installing xserver-xorg because he knows he'll write his xorg.conf accordingly. -- System Information: Debian Release: squeeze/sid APT prefers testing APT policy: (990, 'testing'), (500, 'unstable'), (500, 'stable') Architecture: i386 (i686) Kernel: Linux 2.6.30-1-686 (SMP w/2 CPU cores) Locale: LANG=fr_CH.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=fr_CH.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8) Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash Versions of packages dpkg depends on: ii coreutils 7.4-2 The GNU core utilities ii libc6 2.9-25 GNU C Library: Shared libraries ii lzma 4.43-14 Compression method of 7z format in dpkg recommends no packages. Versions of packages dpkg suggests: ii apt 0.7.23.1 Advanced front-end for dpkg -- no debconf information -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-bugs-dist-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
