Bug#863479: perl-base should add Breaks: debconf (<< 1.5.57~)

[Dominic Hargreaves]

Control: reassign -1 debconf

On Wed, May 31, 2017 at 12:39:57PM +0100, Dominic Hargreaves wrote:
> On Mon, May 29, 2017 at 10:16:08PM +0300, Niko Tyni wrote:
> > On Sat, May 27, 2017 at 03:42:14PM +0200, Julien Cristau wrote:
> > > On Sat, May 27, 2017 at 16:36:50 +0300, Adrian Bunk wrote:
> >  
> > > > Package: perl-base
> > > > Version: 5.24.1-2
> > 
> > > > Technically #786705 is just a harmless warning, but when
> > > > during a jessie -> stretch upgrade perl-base is upgraded
> > > > before debconf is upgraded the user might see a lot scary
> > > > warnings as if something was seriously broken.
> > > > 
> > > [...]
> > > > 
> > > > perl-base should add a Breaks: debconf (<< 1.5.57~).
> > > 
> > > Adding Breaks in a core package a couple of weeks before the release
> > > sounds like a very, very, very bad idea.
> > 
> > Indeed it seems too late in the cycle for this.
> > 
> > Other possible solutions that come to mind:
> > 
> > - silence the warnings during maintainer scripts, much like
> >    https://sources.debian.net/src/perl/5.24.1-2/debian/patches/debian/squelch-locale-warnings.diff/
> >   (but it's late for even this IMO)
> > 
> > - update debconf in a jessie point release to minimize the impact
> >   (this feels right to me, but won't help the immediate stretch upgraders)
> > 
> > Cc'ing Colin. What do you think about the latter option?
> 
> Agree, the third option looks correct to me, we don't have time for
> anything else.

I'm reassigning this bug to debconf now as this seems to be the obvious
way forward. Colin, let us know if you would like a hand with preparing an
update for jessie for this.

Cheers,
Dominic.