Subject: Re: making 'make replace' safer
To: NetBSD pkgsrc Discussion <tech-pkg@netbsd.org>
From: Peter Schuller <peter.schuller@infidyne.com>
List: tech-pkg
Date: 07/17/2006 19:53:05
> > Once there is a way to perform upgrades such that it does not affect the
> > running system (until everything is builtand the administrator hits the
> > switch), that problem will go away. Then all that matters is that the
> > upgrade *works* without having to manually debug packages.
>
> Indeed and that's what binary packages allow.

But not easily. There is no "apt-get dist-upgrade". Hence, on low-priority 
machines where it is acceptable, it is often much easier to just do live 
upgrades (currently). My point was that if the new rolling upgrade tool is to 
be capable of being smart with regards to avoiding recompilation when there 
is no ABI change, I think there should be an option to override that 
smartness on the theory that sooner or later one will run into a 
compatibility issue anyway.

Point taking about building binary packages on test machines and all that; I 
am not arguing against it. But I would like to see pkgsrc being friendlier to 
the average joe who just wants to use it on some personal machine, not spend 
time sysadminning compile farms and binary package upgrades.

-- 
/ Peter Schuller, InfiDyne Technologies HB

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