Re: 2008Q1 -> current: downgrade

[Dieter Baron <dillo%KD119105101110.ppp-bb.dion.ne.jp@localhost>]

In article <20080521121023.GB873%apb-laptoy.apb.alt.za@localhost> Alan wrote:
: On Wed, 21 May 2008, Alistair Crooks wrote:
: > I wanted to know when we'd use epoch, and have only had hand-waving
: > answers.

  Sorry, but this has been answered, quite detailed, more than once in
this thread: When a newer release uses a version number that
dewey-compare would consider lower than the old version (e.g. when
going from dates to N.M).

  This is a real problem for which we currently have no solution, and
here a simple, low-effort solution is suggested.

  What is needed, roughly, is:

- default PKGEPOCH to 0
- prepend $PKGEPOCH<separator> to version if $PKGEPOCH > 0
- teach dewey compare about epoch

  I'm sure this can be implemented, tested and documented in under two
hours.


  Your reservations about this approach, on the other hand, seem
rather hand-wavy to me.  What, exactly and in detail, are your
objections?


: > I don't feel it's prudent to do this to every package for just a small
: > number of packages over the last 10 years which can be worked around.

: I don't understand your point about doing this to every package.
: Most packages won't change at all.  If we had had a scheme like this
: throughout the last 10 years, then only a small number of packages would
: have been affected during that time.

  Exactly; in much the same way as is done for PKGREVISION now.  If a
package doesnt need it, it uses the default of 0, with no effort and
no visible clutter in either the Makefile or the resulting version
number, and no change from existing behaviour.

                                        yours,
                                        dillo