Subject: Q: Superseeding a package, config file handling

From: Sven Rudolph <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 24 Jul 1996 14:53:48 +0200

The genscript program was renamed to enscript, so I want the enscript
to replace an already installed genscript.

Is the following in debian.control correct ?

	Conflicts: genscript
	Provides: genscript

The genscript package has one config file, /etc/genscript.cfg. In the
enscript package it will be called /etc/enscript.cfg. How (and in
which script) do I rename it in order to preserve the configuration
information without confusing the user, dpkg and other entities ?

	Sven
-- 
Sven Rudolph <[email-masked]> ; WWW : http://www.sax.de/~sr1/

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From: [email-masked] (Erick Branderhorst)
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 13:28:10 +0100

> Is the following in debian.control correct ?

AFAIK no package depends/recommends genscript so I don't see any 
point that genscript should be provided.
 
Erick

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From: Guy Maor <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 25 Jul 1996 13:48:40 -0500 (CDT)

> Is the following in debian.control correct ?

No, you need 'Replaces: genscript'.  With replaces and conflicts, dpkg
will remove the old package.  You don't need provides.  Provides is
only needed if some other package depends on genscript.

Guy

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From: Sven Rudolph <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 28 Jul 1996 22:40:08 +0200

In article <[email-masked]> Guy Maor <[email-masked]> writes:

> will remove the old package.

Replaces is only needed when the new package contains files that are
already in the old package, right ?

(Isn't this written down somewhere ? I didn't find it in the info
files :-(

	Sven

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From: Guy Maor <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 28 Jul 1996 15:46:09 -0500 (CDT)

> already in the old package, right ?

It is needed then, but that's not the only reason.  When a package foo
conflicts and replaces another package bar, dpkg will remove bar before
installing foo.  Conflicts without a replaces will require the user to
manually remove bar.

If you want an installation of genscript to automatically remove
enscript, use replaces.  If not, don't.

Guy