Subject: pkg dependencies bite
To: None <tech-pkg@netbsd.org>
From: Simon J. Gerraty <sjg@quick.com.au>
List: tech-pkg
Date: 01/20/2001 21:30:27
So, I'm trying to get gimp installed so I can print a pic on a printer
I'm borrowing tomorrow...

At first I tried building it on a sparc64 at work - blew up while
building the latest perl - assember problem it seems.

So I figure I'll install it on my trusty 1.4.2/i386 at home.  I looked
at the web pages and not all the dependent packages - my there's a
lot, and copy them down.  pkg_add vomits because it needs to install
say foo-1.0.3 but foo-1.0.2 (can't recall exactly what foo was) is
already installed.  What's the point of including versions if you can
only ever have one installed?

Ok, so pkg_delete foo-1.0.2, nope have to remove ghostscript and
ImageMagic first - this is snowballing into a big deal.
Several iterations of this - removing packages that I will now have to
upgrade as a side effect of installing the versions that gimp needs.

Eventually the binary packages give out - we need gettext-0.10.35nb1.tgz
but only gettext-0.10.35.tgz is available and installing that did not
make anyone happy.

Ok, so build devel/gettext, which failed for lack of libintl.h
I'll go see if I can fix that in a minute.

I realise that pkgsrc is aiming to solve a relatively complex problem,
but I'm not sure that the web of pkg dependencies that result is a
win.  It would appear that one must be prepared to wipe /usr/pkg clean
whenever one installs a new pkg via a new pkgsrc due to conflicts in
said web.

--sjg (not subscribed so cc if desired).