Package: util-linux Version: 2.36.1-7 In bug #926637 rename.ul was removed as an alternative for /usr/bin/rename, citing "debian-policy" and because the implementations "cannot be used interchangeably."
After using the util-linux 'rename' for at least a decade, maybe even two, I find this extremely frustrating, I have scripts that rely on this, provisioning that sets this alternative up on all machines, and have relied on this for many years. There is no such Policy I can find after searching all occurrences of the word "alternative" in the current https://www.debian.org/doc/debian-policy/policy.pdf and indeed this seems to be the exact purpose of the alternative mechanism. There are many examples of alternatives that provide the same command name but use different command-line interfaces, such as /usr/bin/mail, /usr/bin/vi, /usr/bin/www-browser (are we going to say firefox and chromium have the same cli?), /usr/bin/sensible-editor, the list goes on and on. Please add rename.ul back and let those of us that want it as 'rename' to keep it. This was an arbitrary decision from On High, pointing at non-existent policy and in fact countermands the exact stated purpose of the alternatives mechanism, directly from the debian-policy manual: "When several packages all provide different versions of the same program or file it is useful to have the system select a default, but to allow the system administrator to change it and have their decisions respected. For example, there are several versions of the vi editor, and there is no reason to prevent all of them from being installed at once, each under their own name (nvi, vim or whatever). Nevertheless it is desirable to have the name vi refer to something, at least by default." Of course not all versions of Vi have the same CLI. Just because some programs try to respect one in different implementations (or a subset), such as /usr/lib/sendmail, does not mean that all Alternatives are required to do that, it doesn't make any sense at all. Instead of "allowing the system administrator to ... have their decision respected" this arbitrary change has taken place with no authority given to the system administrator and defying the purpose of the alternatives system and Debian Policy. Please add it back, it is an Alternative exactly like they are designed to be used, as specified in Debian Policy, and has existed for many years. Thanks.
