[ On Friday, February 11, 2005 at 16:44:56 (+0100), tlaronde@polynum.com wrote: ]
> Subject: Re: pkg_alternatives as a dependency, again
>
> IIRC, the origin on Debian for the alternatives was too provide some way
> to call a program _for a package_ that could have different values.
> Example, since the concept of a well defined system is unknown, the MTA
> may vary and packages could call a well known name (symlink) pointing to
> whatever MTA was there. If I'm not mistaken, this had, at the beginning,
> a justification on the package system (due to what I now consider a
> flaw: not having a core well defined, well tested, limited system), not
> on the user side.

Indeed trying to provide per-user control over such alternatives is
insanity that's already happening.

-- 
						Greg A. Woods

H:+1 416 218-0098  W:+1 416 489-5852 x122  VE3TCP  RoboHack <woods@robohack.ca>
Planix, Inc. <woods@planix.com>          Secrets of the Weird <woods@weird.com>