Re: [gentoo-dev] Handling multiple packages providing the same convenience symlink

[Ed Grimm]

On Thu, 4 Nov 2004, Graham Murray wrote:

> Ciaran McCreesh <ciaranm@g.o> writes:
>
>> A user installing any one of these packages would expect to be given
>> convenience symlinks which would allow them to access the packages
>> via the traditional names. Suddenly we have a problem -- what if a
>> user has more than one of these packages installed?
>
> Would it be possible for the emerge to only install the symlink if it
> does not already exist or if it is 'dangling'? Then allow the user to
> change the symlink if (s)he wishes to change the program called using
> the traditional names.

I think that this is the most sensible idea mentioned in this thread.
Admittedly, shortly after this message, the Grand System crowd came out
in force.

Personally, I'd augment the above with, 'Of course, the original package
(in this case, vi) would remove any symlinks it needed to remove in
order to install its binaries - this is the principle of "the actual
product trumps the emulator."', and then feel this is sufficient
direction to the coders.

Yeah, I know, this is Gentoo, so regardless of how complicated the spec
is, they're going to make a Grand System.  But it'd be nice if the spec
at least were simple.  This gives people more opportunity to fix
senseless complication later on by distinguishing between what was
perceived to be needed, and what was added in simply because it seemed
cool.

Personally, I'd implement the above with a wrapper around installing
links and another around installing files; the former checks to see if
os.stat(pathname) exists and is not a symlink, the latter checks to see
if os.lstat(pathname) exists and is not a symlink.

Ed

--
gentoo-dev@g.o mailing list