How to prevent HAM and/or apt-get from upgrading package?
 

I have manually modified /var/lib/dpkg/status to remove some not needed dependencies from some packages.
One is mymenu (dependency mp-fremantle-generic-pr) and other is tor (dependency adduser).
I already hold package mymenu
, but HAM always wants me to update this.
How to disable that? (as apt-get upgrade recognizes the hold!)

And other question for tor is:
I manually edited dpkg status file to have here "adduser | busybox-power" instead of "adduser" only. But apt-get wants me to upgrade this even latest version is installed. I do not want to put it on hold. Is there any other possibility?

Or is editing dpkg status not allowed at all?

Re: How to prevent HAM and/or apt-get from upgrading package?
 

editing dpkg status file is the worst what you can do.

rather fix packages in extras-devel repository and other people can benefit from it:
* add "Provides: adduser" to busybox-power (so packages which depends on adduser will work with busybox-power)
* remove dependency on mp-fremantle-generic-pr from packages (it is really useless)

HAM does not support what apt-get, so there is no possible fix (only one is to patch HAM to understand holding...)

Re: How to prevent HAM and/or apt-get from upgrading package?
 

I know, but I read that when you know what you do (hmm, did/do I? ;)) then you may solve some dependency problems this way.

OK, I will inform iDont (but that would mean a lot of provides to edit for him :)).
For mymenu I do not see any active maintainer anymore. I believe he added mp to force users to upgrade to PR1.3. Maybe mymenu does not work for older releases? Are there really people out there using PR < 1.3???

Thanks, I was afraid that this is the answer.

Re: How to prevent HAM and/or apt-get from upgrading package?
 

I guess for mp-fremantle-generic-pr we/one could use equivs to create a dummy package. This way you effectively replace the package without breaking the packaging system (which is what you do by editing dpkg status -- but kudos to you for doing that :)

Re: How to prevent HAM and/or apt-get from upgrading package?
 

This can break other parts... And when you change it then apt/dpkg can see that you have different version installed as in apt repo (version string same but control data different) and they can provide "update"... Really do not edit dpkg status file if you do not know what are you doing!

I think that extras-devel has own fremantle1.3 distribution... And I think that in extras-devel & extras-testing you do not have to care about old PR 1.2 (and 1.1...) releases.

Re: How to prevent HAM and/or apt-get from upgrading package?
 

Depending on that metapackage is bad idea. It means that for your app you need full Maemo system... which is for obviois reason not correct...

And there are 12 different (or maybe more??) metapackages (for each region variant) plus for CSSU.

If your package needs PR1.3 then it needs only some specific PR1.3 feature e.g. new menu provided by hildon-desktop... So depends on new hildon-desktop package.


And please do not start creating new dummy packages for fixing our totally broken packaging system. It will lead to even big hell as it is now.

Re: How to prevent HAM and/or apt-get from upgrading package?
 

Okay, okay. ;)
I just thought modifying some dependencies I really do not need, could cause such trouble (at least not a mess). Easily to revert.
Above explanation is what I was looking for.
So just out of curiosity, is there really some use case for editing manually (which was correct form my point of view)?

Okay.
But I am not going to be maintainer of mymenu, but would like to help to get that package dependency solved. Some idea?

Re: How to prevent HAM and/or apt-get from upgrading package?
 

Well, as an end-user you don't have many options do you?

If would be greate if CSSU would go and resolve the dependency chaos we have in Maemo. Heck, I would even install CSSU if they did that :)

But as peterleinchen has already pointed out, a mere end-user cannot take over the role of maintainer for a number of packages, so either we fix the packages locally (patching the .deb and/or the dpkg status) or we fake dummy dependencies (equivs).

This is not debian or Ubuntu. We don't have a working system for fixing bugs.

Re: How to prevent HAM and/or apt-get from upgrading package?
 

I gave my old N900 to my daughter. Running an upgrade on Faster Application Manager leads to 10 QtMobile packages, 27 packages to be installed. Before installing, I receive a warning that I am about to remove a critical component, mp-fremantle-generic-pr 21.2011.38-1.

I guess I don't want to remove this component. Now what?

Re: How to prevent HAM and/or apt-get from upgrading package?
 

Hi Rob,
sorry for late reply, I thought I already answered.

Depends.
If you are on CSSU you shouldn't have this meta package anymore.
If not I suggest to do a reflash and upgrade to CSSU (depends on what you like/preferences/already installed/...)

Regarding manual salvation (correct wording?):
mainly packages from CSSU requiring to remove mp package. I did not run into such prob when upgrading (all from devel repo). But maybe some package QT? requires any higher lib.
What are your repositories? This should not happen inside standard repos (imho).
I would try to cut down the to-be-installed packages and try to find which one requires deletion.
All of the above is more or less obsolete as there will be no more PR1.4 (PR1.3.2). And this meta package is only needed for that case so it is safe to have it removed (saying so even I still have it on device ;)).