David Wright [2023-12-16 11:30:01] wrote: > On Sat 16 Dec 2023 at 10:59:48 (-0500), Stefan Monnier wrote: >> AFAICT, all of `/var/lib/apt/lists` is made of files fetched from >> repositories, which APT will re-fetch if missing. >> So, it sounds to me like it belongs in `/var/cache/apt/lists`, really. >> What am I missing? Or is it just a historical accident? > > This may not answer your question, but when you fetch new lists, > they aren't the same as what was there before, and don't actually > match your system until you upgrade it.
AFAIK those lists aren't supposed to "match your system", are they? IIUC they just keep a local copy of the repository's list. Admittedly if I `apt update` today, and then a week from now I delete the lists and do `apt update` again I won't get the same files. But similar, if I delete one of the files in `/var/cache/apt/archive`, there's no guarantee that I'll be able to re-download this exact file next week (tho I guess https://snapshot.debian.org/ might still make it possible if you want it badly enough). Stefan
