Re: Feaping Creature-ism in core Debian Packages

[Kermit Tensmeyer <kermit@brite.net>]

>>>>> "HE" == Hirling Endre <endre@darmol.elte.hu> writes:

    HE> Hello, I've run through this thread and now I have an idea
    HE> about this lpr/lprng problem. Someone suggested that dpkg
    HE> should have an option to check if a package is installed. It's
    HE> slow with the current status database, and would increase
    HE> boot-up time if used by many packages.  Why not create a
    HE> /var/state/packages (or similar) directory, touch files there
    HE> at package installation, and delete them at removal (they're
    HE> not conffiles). Such a file's existence could be checked in no
    HE> time to make sure we're not in a lonely initscript but have
    HE> the package installed as well. This could be 'policy' (no, I
    HE> don't necessarily mean Debian Policy) for all packages, or
    HE> just those with this type of collision.

 One addition to this excellent suggestion. Instead of "touch'ed" file
 why not write the version id of the package. Thus dependant packages
could check to see if the required packages (and/or libraries or set's 
of file could be centrally managed)

 the idea of using a directory instead of a database, allows usage
before the database is available and allows the developer/debugger to
visually identify what the system -thinks- it has installed.

-- 
    =================================================
Kermit Tensmeyer   - kermit@brite.net    [  dallas, texas ]
   and this is my opinion, and not the property of anyone else!