[NEW IDEA] Automatic removal of dependencies

[Leon]

"Jeff Spaleta" <jspaleta at gmail.com> writes:

> On 4/21/06, Leon <sdl.web at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Dear all,
>>
>> This is something new and missing for linux. I think it's a great
>> idea. The following wiki page explains clearly.
>>
>> https://wiki.ubuntu.com/PackageDependencyManagement
>
> automatic removal of dependancies.. will only work if all applications
> and scripts on the system are managed by the package management
> system. That means that nothing on the system can be installed via
> source which makes it outside the scope of the package management
> system  which may be using an "indirect" dependancy.
> Nothing can be install from an alternative catelog like CPAN.. which
> may be using an "indirect" dependancy. Nothing can be written locally
> as a script, shell or perl or python or php or otherwise... that may
> use an "indirect" dependancy.
>
> This only robustly works if every library and every executable and
> every intepretable script which could be calling other executables on
> the system is strictly managed by the package management system.
> Snowball's chance in that happening on a anything close to 90% of
> deployed systems. Whether its multiuser moderate to large network
> deployments, or someone's home workstation the chance that a system is
> rpm pure for every executable and script on the system is slim.
>
> -jef

I think you didn't get the idea right.

Basically they want to divide packages (of course installed by package
manager; those installed using source, the user has to track
themselves) into two groups: one is installed by the user (explicitly
'yum install') and the other is those required to satisfy the
dependence.

Ubuntu put this *high* priority for the next release after
dapper. After reading its wiki page, it make sense to me. And I
believe it will be useful.

-- 
Leon