Hi martin (2017.01.09_02:36:38_+0200) > Provides defines virtual packages, and those do not (and cannot as > it wouldn't make sense) carry version numbers.
They have been supported in dpkg since 1.17.11, and other tools since. Pypy is not the only package to use them. And it waited until they were fairly well supported in archive infrastructure (britney, etc.) before starting to use them. > ยง 7.5 of the policy says: > > A Provides field may not contain version numbers Pretty sure this is a case of policy lagging behind reality (which happens more often than we'd like :( ). Here's the dpkg maintainer agreeing with me, in an aptitude bug: https://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=801216#26 SR -- Stefano Rivera http://tumbleweed.org.za/ +1 415 683 3272
