New packages installed when upgrading ?

[openfred]

Hello,

I tried a simple upgrade today, as many patches appears for Slackware, and I don't understand why so many NEW packages have to be installed (agg boost gtkglext gnash):

Code: Select all

root@tosh:~# LANG=en_US slapt-get --upgrade
Reading Package Lists...Done
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  agg boost gtkglext gnash
The following packages will be upgraded:
  apr apr-util expat flash-plugin openssl spkg-pkgtools sudo 
7 upgraded, 0 reinstalled, 4 newly installed, 0 to remove, 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 10.8MB of archives.
After unpacking 58.7MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [y/N] 

It is true, as these new packages are dependencies for upgraded packages !
(look if no dependency checks is done):

Code: Select all

root@tosh:~# LANG=en_US slapt-get --no-dep --upgrade
Reading Package Lists...Done
The following packages will be upgraded:
  apr apr-util expat flash-plugin openssl spkg-pkgtools sudo 
7 upgraded, 0 reinstalled, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove, 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 3.5MB of archives.
After unpacking 8.4MB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue? [y/N] 

Is this behaviour expected ?

Fred

[thenktor]

So you are saying that 4 new packages are "so many"?
gnash replaces flash. agg is a really small package. I don't know what depends on boost (I guess gnash), but who cares?

[openfred]

Hello

So you are saying that 4 new packages are "so many"?

4 is not a lot, but 4 new dependencies, when upgrading only 7 packages: it s a lot.
I already made an upgrade after installation, yesterday's upgrade was only about new packages (between Feb. 2 and Feb. 10).

gnash replaces flash. agg is a really small package. I don't know what depends on boost (I guess gnash), but who cares?

Well, are we using Slackware here (even slack for lazy slackers ) ?
It may be up to the administrator to decide if gnash replaces flash!

When upgrading a package I am expecting this package to be upgraded, and that's all.
There should not be new dependencies installed at the same time...

If Salix handles dependencies (and a really good work has been done), I think (but I may be wrong) that it should not be a reason to install useless packages. And to bypass administrator decision.

If a package needs dependencies, then it needs them from scratch (installation), and upgrade should not add new packages (unless one dependency have been forgotten, it may happens).

Fred

[gapan]

As a responsible system administrator, you should know that old flash versions are a major security hole. So, in 64bit systems, where there is no up-to-date flash plugin, flash has been replaced with gnash. The decision to keep a security hole as big as flash in your system lies with you, the system administrator, of course. You can instruct slapt-get to not ever upgrade your old flash package by editing the slapt-get configuration file, if you really want to. But it would be completely irresponsible from Salix to leave that security hole there as if nothing happened.

[openfred]

hello

you are absolutely right, Flash plugin for 64b linux is no more supported and should not been used anymore!
I am currently testing Salix 64b, and didn't think about it when I installed Flash plugin.
As Flash is provided through Salix repository, it makes sense not to provide this package anymore.

I removed flash-plugin by hand, and relaunched an upgrade, and it happens what is supposed to: an upgrade

root@tosh:~# LANG=en_US slapt-get --upgrade
Reading Package Lists...Done
The following packages will be upgraded:
apr apr-util expat openssl spkg-pkgtools sudo
6 upgraded, 0 reinstalled, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove, 0 not upgraded.
Need to get 3.5MB of archives.
After unpacking 769.0kB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue? [y/N]

The decision to replace Flash-plugin by gnash is up to packager decision.
As Salix is not Slackware, it makes sense to replace flash for gnash.

Fred