I think that dependancies would be far better in Mandrake if they were only there in cases where the programs would not run with out each other. Not just because the packager thinks that they would be nice to getter. On Mandrake the base system is just two large. i.e all the packages that are needed to be installed with the base package. Like I only use bash, do I realy need the C shell and all the others, not as far as I can see. Mark Hillary A better solution would be to use debs or for them to invent their own package format, that can do thinks like let you install parts of the package (just and idea), instead of waiting for some one else to do it. ----- Original Message ----- From: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Wednesday, November 29, 2000 12:56 PM Subject: [MandrakeForum] Dependencies Which Suck > Dependencies Which Suck > (http://forum.mandrakesoft.com/article.php3?sid=20001129045637) > > Generally speaking, dependencies in RPM packages are a Good Thing (TM). They prevent you from installing a broken system and from uninstalling stuff which would break other applications. > > But everything has its downside and so have dependencies. > > I've always thought that RPM is lacking a quite cool feature of Debian's packaging system, the 'suggests' dependency. In 'suggests' the packager can define which packages he or she think would be useful to install along with this package. It's up to you to follow this suggestion or not. > > In RPM, a dependency is a dependency. Sure, you can always use the --nodeps switch to uninstall packages which you think - in contrast to the packager's opinion - you don't need, but that really isn't a clean solution. > > Is M overdoing it when it comes to dependencies? My preferred example is the 'mozilla-fonts' package. If you do a > > rpm -q --requires netscape-common > > you will see that this font package is required. Why? Is it necessary for running Netscape? No. (On the contrary, I think it sucks pretty much). > If you unselect this package during expert (!) installation, the installer will automatically remove all of the Netscape packages, too. > > Maybe the expert installation mode should allow installing a system with broken dependencies. After all, it's for experts who know what they do, right? > > Of course, a preferable solution would be getting rid of these unecessary dependencies. Which - however - might have a negative impact on new users, if they get the impression to be left with an incomplete system. > > Debian has another neat feature, and that's the 'alternatives' system (M is implementing this currently). Run 'edit [file]', and an editor is started (/usr/bin/edit being a link to a currently installed editor). I'm not a packager, but wouldn't it be neat to introduce something like virtual dependencies. So that, if you need to satisfy a dependency for an editor, you be able to choose which editor you want to do that? > > What your take on this matter? Which dependencies do you think are obsolete or annoying? What could / should be done to better this situation? > >
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