On 05/01/2001 03:09:16 AM Sam Powers wrote: >> While we're discussing what's wrong with task packages, I'd like to pick on >> them a little more: >> Task packages make things like task-gnome-desktop very easy to install, but >> removing the packages which are installed can sometimes be really tough, if >> you just wanted to try out gnome, for example. >> Perhaps task packages should be required to flag their dependencies for >> removal in their prerm to ease removal of the entire package group. (probably >> a better name for this type of package..) >> Any better ideas?
Been there, done that, noone cares enough. Would take a policy change I suppose, to enforce it. >From my poor memory, the "generally agreed best idea" is to setup two packages, vaguely like this: Package name: task-abc Conflicts: task-abc-remove Depends: abc, bcd, cde, def Package name: task-abc-remove Conflicts: task-abc, abc, bcd, cde, def >From that description you can probably figure out whats going on. If someone cared enough to do that for all task packages, that would make removal of tasks "simple". I don't think this will happen soon, because I get the feeling the the "powerusers" who would have to create the -remove packages don't use task packages to begin with. Making a sweeping generalization, most people who have root don't install task packages, if they want KDE they apt-get install koffice konquerer and let apt figure out all the dependancies. In other words they already know the names of the tools they need, so they don't need a task package crutch. Then I could complain that the newbies that could benefit by the installation of everything to do task-abc will probably not be able to figure out what's installed by the task package or what in general is installed on their system.. Ideally task-abc-remove would even remove itself once it's done. That would be hard, but it might be possible via a nasty combination of at, cron, and who knows what else. Other theories included enforcing the addition of a file in /usr/sbin, for example: # filename /usr/sbin/task-abc-remove # This shell script cleans out task-abc dpkg --remove abc # you get the idea dpkg --remove def dpkg --remove task-abc rm /usr/sbin/task-abc-remove This is also somewhat tricky, as youd have to create /usr/sbin/task-abc-remove as part of the postinst of task-abc.