Re: [gentoo-user] Omitting blocked package when updating world

[Rumen Yotov]

On Fri, 2005-10-14 at 19:09 -0400, C. Beamer wrote:
> Hi,
>
> I've had Gentoo installed on my main computer for about a month now and
> want to update world.
>
> When I did 'emerge --pretend --update --deep world'  I got told that a
> package that I had installed was blocking another package.  I want to
> update but omit the blocked package from the update, which incidentally
> is not installed on my system.
>
> I looked in the Gentoo documentation which told me that I had 2 options
> - to omit the blocked package or remove the blocked package.  Since the
> blocked package is not installed on my system, my only option is to
> omit, but I couldn't find how to omit it in the documentation.  Nor,
> could I figure out from the man page how to do it.
>
> So what do I use to omit a package from being updated when I want to run
> 'emerge --update --deep world'
>
> Regards,
>
> Colleen
Hi,
Think it mostly depends on which is the package in question.
Seen three types of package blocking:
1.a new version blocking the old version of the same package - remove it
then add again;
2.A new package wants to install but there is another package serving
the same role, e.g mail-server: qmail, postfix, exim all provide -
virtual/mta (IIRC), so only one could get installed;
3.Think it's your case. Some other package (which is installed) has a
*new* dependency on another one (not installed), which provides the same
'virtual/...' as third one (installed).
This could happen when using -D/--deep flag - try without it to check
and use -t/-tree option to see the deps. But it depends on the package
in question & friends.
HTH.Rumen