Debian Bug report logs - #9242
dpkg: dselect could be smart about Changes information

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Message #5 received at submit@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: <swift@bu.edu>

To: submit@bugs.debian.org

Subject: dpkg: dpkg could be smart about Changes information

Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 14:10:41 -0400

Package: dpkg
Version: 1.4.0.8

It would be useful if the kind of information sent to the debian-changes
mailing list were integrated into dpkg.  For available updated packages, a user
could use information about the number and Urgency: of each intervening update.
Also useful would be access to the developer's comments on each upgrade.  

As a motivational scenario, suppose package P has undergone 3 revisions 1, 2,
and 3.  If I have 1 installed and now 3 is available via dselect.  Without this
information I don't know (at least) two pieces of information that might be
significant in my choice of whether to install version 3.  First, have the 2
intervening upgrades provided any features I want, such as an important bugfix
or new feature?  Second, have the 2 intervening upgrades introduced new
behavior such that I do NOT want to upgrade.  For example, some new versions
might require nontrivial reconfiguration, or break an existing setup.  The
developer's comments on each upgrade could (should) mention this type of
information, whereas the general package description is not an appropriate
place for this.  In theory a considerate preinst script could query the user
before installing a new version that might cause breakage or otherwise require
extra administrative attention.  But really this information belongs in dselect
before the package is even downloaded.

More concretely, a new Debian revision of the 2.0.30 kernel sources has come
out.  It is a 6MB file and I have a 28.8k line.  Presently, I don't know
whether I want to bother with this very long download without checking through
my personal archive of debian-changes to see what's the story with this new
version.


-- System Information
Debian Release: 1.3
Kernel Version: Linux localhost 2.0.30 #1 Thu Apr 24 13:34:49 EDT 1997 i586 unknown

Versions of the packages dpkg depends on:
libc5	Version: 5.4.23-2
ncurses3.0	Version: 1.9.9e-1

Message #12 received at 9242@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Matthew Swift <swift@bu.edu>

To: 9242@bugs.debian.org

Subject: oops: I mean dselect not dpkg

Date: Wed, 30 Apr 1997 15:05:06 -0400

> It would be useful if the kind of information sent to the
> debian-changes mailing list were integrated into dpkg.

I mean dselect not dpkg of course, though there might be some use for
a dpkg option, say, to upgrade only high-urgency packages and those
they depend on.

Message #15 received at 9242-quiet@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Ian Jackson <ian@chiark.greenend.org.uk>

To: swift@alum.mit.edu, Debian developers list <debian-devel@lists.debian.org>, 9242-quiet@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#9242: dpkg: dpkg could be smart about Changes information

Date: Sun, 11 May 97 23:58 BST

swift@bu.edu writes ("Bug#9242: dpkg: dpkg could be smart about Changes information"):
...
> It would be useful if the kind of information sent to the debian-changes
> mailing list were integrated into dpkg.  For available updated packages, a user
> could use information about the number and Urgency: of each intervening update.
> Also useful would be access to the developer's comments on each upgrade.  

I can see why this would be useful.  However, there is the problem of
transferring all of this data to the user's system.

The more information we try to provide the user with the more they
will have to download for each package that they choose not to install
or upgrade.

In this particular case, I'm unconvinced that supplying the user with
the whole change history of a package is a reasonable thing to
attempt.

Ian.

Message #20 received at 9242@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Matthew Swift <swift@bu.edu>

To: 9242@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#9242: dpkg: dpkg could be smart about Changes information

Date: Sun, 11 May 1997 22:37:01 -0400

>>>>> "I" == Ian Jackson <ian@chiark.greenend.org.uk> writes:

    I> swift@bu.edu writes ("Bug#9242: dpkg: dpkg could be smart about
    I> Changes information"): ...
    >> It would be useful if the kind of information sent to the
    >> debian-changes mailing list were integrated into DSELECT.  For
    >> available updated packages, a user could use information about
    >> the number and Urgency: of each intervening update.  Also
    >> useful would be access to the developer's comments on each
    >> upgrade.

    I> I can see why this would be useful.  However, there is the
    I> problem of transferring all of this data to the user's system.

    I> The more information we try to provide the user with the more
    I> they will have to download for each package that they choose
    I> not to install or upgrade.

    I> In this particular case, I'm unconvinced that supplying the
    I> user with the whole change history of a package is a reasonable
    I> thing to attempt.

It would answer your concern if dselect accessed change history files
(ie downloaded them) on demand per package or package group.  Change
history download and display can also be minimized by beginning with
the installed version.  An uninterested user could ignore the extra
command.  Handled in this way, the feature seems to have no ill side
effects.  I don't intend to argue for the priority of this feature,
but my ideal dselect would have it.

Message #23 received at 9242-quiet@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Tom Lees <tom@lpsg.demon.co.uk>

To: Ian Jackson <ian@chiark.greenend.org.uk>

Cc: swift@alum.mit.edu, Debian developers list <debian-devel@lists.debian.org>, 9242-quiet@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#9242: dpkg: dpkg could be smart about Changes information

Date: Mon, 12 May 1997 19:33:12 +0100 (BST)

On Sun, 11 May 1997, Ian Jackson wrote:

> > It would be useful if the kind of information sent to the debian-changes
> > mailing list were integrated into dpkg.  For available updated packages, a user
> > could use information about the number and Urgency: of each intervening update.
> > Also useful would be access to the developer's comments on each upgrade.  
> 
> I can see why this would be useful.  However, there is the problem of
> transferring all of this data to the user's system.
> 
> The more information we try to provide the user with the more they
> will have to download for each package that they choose not to install
> or upgrade.
> 
> In this particular case, I'm unconvinced that supplying the user with
> the whole change history of a package is a reasonable thing to
> attempt.

IMHO, a parser for the "Last week's uploads into i386" files regularly
posted to debian-(devel-)changes would be ideal. Then you create another
mailing list to house these announcements only, and make dpkg remove the
old info when the package is upgraded.

-- 
Tom Lees <tom@lpsg.demon.co.uk>			http://www.lpsg.demon.co.uk/
PGP ID 87D4D065, fingerprint 2A 66 86 9D 02 4D A6 1E  B8 A2 17 9D 4F 9B 89 D6
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Message #30 received at 9242-done@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Matt Swift <swift@alum.mit.edu>

To: 9242-done@bugs.debian.org

Subject: apt-listchanges pkg satisfies this feature-request

Date: 04 Feb 2001 17:12:46 -0500

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