> Date: Tue, 7 Nov 1995 11:06:00 -0500 > From: "brian (b.c.) white" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Subject: New Packages-Master > > I noticed that the "Packages-Master" file now has a "filename:" field. > I'm curious about what will happen when (if?) you create seperate > directories for different "releases" of Debian.
The Packages-Master file will contain information about the `released' system. It is simply the concatenation of debian-current/Packages, contrib/Packages and non-free/Packages. It is intended mainly for human consumption. Certainly anything that is trying to locate packages or list those available should use the individual Packages files under debian-0.93, debian-1.0, contrib and non-free. > Also, Packages-Master does not seem to have all the packages listed > within it. Though I have not checked it fully, at least the experimental > packages are not included. Since this is the "Master", I think all > should be included. Selection programs such as 'dftp' can hide packages > >from the user very easily, if so desired, but it is very hard to include > them if the information is not readily available in the first place. That's right, the experimental packages are not included. We need a directory where we can just dump things that are experimental and don't want to be included in the various automatic lists of things - and project/experimental is it. Bleeding edge packages should go in the bleeding edge tree, which has its own Packages file. If people feel that those packages should be listed in Packages-Master too I'm open to comments, but I'd be inclined to suggest that we don't want to encourage people who don't know what they're doing to use that tree. Ian.