[Debian-med-packaging] Bug#503367: Bug#503367: plink: file conflict with putty-tools

[Charles Plessy]

Le Sat, Oct 25, 2008 at 08:40:59AM +0200, Sven Joachim a écrit :
> Package: plink
> Version: 1.03p1-1
> Severity: serious
> 
> The /usr/bin/plink name is already taken:
> 
> ,----
> | # aptitude install plink
> | [...]
> | Selecting previously deselected package plink.
> | (Reading database ... 134796 files and directories currently installed.)
> | Unpacking plink (from .../plink_1.03p1-1_i386.deb) ...
> | dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/plink_1.03p1-1_i386.deb (--unpack):
> |  trying to overwrite `/usr/bin/plink', which is also in package putty-tools
> | dpkg-deb: subprocess paste killed by signal (Broken pipe)
> | Errors were encountered while processing:
> |  /var/cache/apt/archives/plink_1.03p1-1_i386.deb
> | E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)
> `----

Hi Sven,

thank you for reporting this bug.

Both programs are intended for command line, and could be used in
scripts. We may even find users who want to install both at the same
time. Very annoying…

Since Plink is younger than Putty, I think that the burden of the
renaming is for us (the Debian Med packaging team). I plan to rename
/usr/bin/plink to /usr/bin/Plink, that would be a symbolic link to
/usr/lib/plink/plink so that with an appropriate PATH, users can rescue
their scripts.

But before doing so, I would like to ask the readers of debian-devel:

  - if it is not a bad idea to have to programs whose name only differs by
    case (do we support file systems à la Macintosh?),
  - if they have a better idea in general.


Have a nice day.

(By the way, are you interested in genetics ?)

-- 
Charles Plessy
Debian Med packaging team,
Tsurumi, Kanagawa, Japan