Subject: packages.gz not uptodate (what the use of ".new-packages")

From: Michael Gaertner <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1996 17:34:38 +0200 (MET DST)

I just checked the packages.gz in contrib and buzz on
sun10.sep.bnl.gov (in contrib packages.gz is newer than the most recent 
package there!) and on some other most uptodate-mirrors. Both packages.gz
don't reflect, what's in the directories for real.
But I noticed at least in contrib, that there are ".new-packages"-files
with the rest of the stuff. What's it for? I need packages.gz and cannot
use this stuff. 

Michael Gaertner <[email-masked]>
Tel/Fax +49-761-32684

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From: Rick Hawkins <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 19 Jun 1996 10:52:31 CDT

i'm kind of thinking aloud here, but a couple of possibilities come to
mind:

1) can the mirrors simply run their own script for creating packages
files?

2) how about a delay in deleting the outdated files?  When the Packages
file gets ahead of wha'ts actually there, and packages try to load
barely obsolete dependents, it turns out that the older file just isn't
there.  If it statyed for a few days, it would ease the problem.  (this
is a band-aid solution,yes, but it seems relatively easy to implement).

rick