[vox-tech] Debian Unstable - apt strangeness

[David Hummel]

On Fri, Aug 13, 2004 at 04:55:39PM -0700, Matt Roper wrote:
> 
> On Fri, Aug 13, 2004 at 07:39:21PM -0400, David Hummel wrote:
> > 
> > On Fri, Aug 13, 2004 at 04:17:38PM -0700, Matt Roper wrote:
> > > 
> > > I have no idea why dselect throws all the apt information into the
> > > dpkg database instead of just working from the apt database
> > > directly; it's certainly non-intuitive and breaks the whole
> > > apt/dpkg layering scheme.
> > 
> > Interesting, I've never used dselect, and the apt package info still
> > winds up in the dpkg databases.
> 
> I believe (although I'm not positive) that the Woody installers did
> the equivalent of a 'dselect update' at the end of the installation,
> even if you didn't ask to run dslect at the end of the install
> process.  Maybe the apt info in your dpkg database is from back when
> you first installed.  If this is the case, the actual package versions
> listed for your uninstalled packages are probably way out of date.

Ah I see.  Thanks for pointing this out.

> It's possible that other package managers (aptitude, synaptic, etc.)
> also have this behavior, but I've never used them so I don't know.
> Have you ever fired up one of these or have you used nothing but apt
> since installation?

Correct, nothing but apt.  I prefer to start with a minimal system and
install as needed.

> I know that apt-get by itself won't touch /var/lib/dpkg/available, but
> I'm not sure what other tools will.  It's not very well documented in
> the manpages.

I'm curious too.  If anyone can shed some light...

-David