On Mon, 3 Oct 2005 15:02:41 +0200
Jeroen Ruigrok/asmodai <asmodai@in-nomine.org> wrote:

> -On [20051003 14:56], segv@netctl.net (segv@netctl.net) wrote:
> >Maybe that's because you can have chains of dependancies:
> >
> >A->B->C->D
> >
> >So A depends on B, which depends on C, which depends on D
> >To update A, you'd have to remove D, C, B in this order and rebuild them.
> 
> Wouldn't it be better to do:
> 
> build D, deinstall D, install D,
> build C, deinstall C, install C,
> et cetera?

OK

A_v1 -> B_v1 -> C_v1 -> D_v1

where v<num> is the version number of a package
If C_v1 depends on D_v1 and you build D_v2 then remove D_v1 and install D_v2,
then C_v1 will break (possibly breaking dependant packages B_v1 and A_v1)

Many packages include shared libraries, where version numbers are critical. If
an application has been linked to a particular library and you remove that
library and install a new (possibly incompatible) version, that application
will not run properly, or it may run but crash randomly.