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Elfyn McBratney posted <200504160656.43452@××××××××××.local>, excerpted |
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below, on Sat, 16 Apr 2005 06:56:34 +0100: |
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|
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> A number of people have suggested putting these updated ebuilds back into |
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> package.mask, or lessening the impact of the upgrade from current stable |
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> apache to the new ~arch apache. So, I would like to solicit advice from the |
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> developer community as to how we can rectify this. |
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> |
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> The way I see it, we have three options: |
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> - package.mask (downgrades for those early adopters) |
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[snip] |
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|
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As a user that tends to get a bit upset when perfectly working (on my |
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system) packages are package masked, forcing a downgrade, without clear |
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reason, here's my perspective. |
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|
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* Put a clear explanation in the package-mask comment, particularly |
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indicating that it's safe to unmask and continue to use if you already |
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have it installed and working -- IOW, that it's not a security issue |
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causing the masking. Something like, |
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|
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# Masked pending further development and testing. Current working |
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# installations may package.unmask to prevent # forced downgrade. |
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|
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Or, reference a bug number instead of that "pending" language. |
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|
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Again, just clearly indicate the reason for any masking that will force a |
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downgrade, particularly whether it's security related or not, and the |
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consequences of /not/ downgrading, thus giving the user, that is, the |
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local Gentoo system administrator, enough information to make a good |
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decision on whether they can /safely/ package.unmask it and continue to |
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use it, or not. |
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|
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I must say... In general, the Gentoo devs already get high marks for this. |
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=8^) Only once have I had to ask what the force-downgrade masking was |
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about, because all the comment effectively said was "remasking this", |
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something I obviously already knew if I was looking at the comment in the |
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package.mask file. =8^( (Actually, I think that incident had to do with |
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keyword masking, but the point still stands. Clear comment explaining |
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why, and I'm a happy camper <g>; unclear comment, and I'm not, because |
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I've been deprived of the information necessary to effectively carry out |
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/my/ responsibilities as a Gentoo sysadmin.) |
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|
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-- |
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Duncan - List replies preferred. No HTML msgs. |
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"Every nonfree program has a lord, a master -- |
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and if you use the program, he is your master." Richard Stallman in |
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http://www.linuxdevcenter.com/pub/a/linux/2004/12/22/rms_interview.html |
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|
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-- |
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