Where do you get the fedora extras from?

[Jeff Spaleta]

On Wed, 15 Dec 2004 06:49:22 +0000, Michael A. Peters <mpeters at mac.com> wrote:
> You can specifically exclude packages from one or the other - or use a
> really nify package manager called smart (it's available from dag I
> believe) and set priority - as in freshrpms could have a priority of 0,
> fedora extras/livna could have a priority of 1, base OS could have a
> priority of 3, updates-released could have a priority of 4.


I will repeat my concerns about the approach smart takes.
If a package is 'too smart' and gladly picks up whatever combination
of packages that best fit the users dependancy chain from a number of
sources... you run the risk of not having packaging errors reported by
users.  I'm also concerned about packaging problems leading to
unexpected chains of package removals and replacing them with a chain
of packages from another repository if the package tool is 'too
smart'. Packaging errors do happen.... and if the tool is too flexible
these errors will be less likely reported.

I also look at priorities as the way smart exposes them as a
workaround and not a solution.
Users can only adjust priorities after they have personal experience. 
And while priorities provide advanced experienced users with a
convient tool to address their frustrations, its not a reasonably
useful mechanism for inexperienced users to navigate.

I'm much more interested in finding a way for repositories to encode
their peering and inter-repository dependancy policies into the
metadata for tools to use as sane defaults.  So when repository A
states a policy that it does not conflict with repository B or
repository C. The package manager is made aware of that and flags any
conflict between A and B or between B and C as a 'bug' for the user to
report.  And when a reposoitory named cruftyrpms states a policy that
it uses base and extras as dependant repositories, that can be encoded
into the metadata of the repository and the package manager can use
that information and find deps for cruftyrpms in the stated locations.
And if a dep is unfullfilled, it flags the problem as a 'bug' and
tells the user to report the problem.

-jef