Bug#398924: Conflict between Gnome, udev, hotplug and linux-2.4

[Steve Langasek]

On Thu, Nov 16, 2006 at 05:27:22PM +0100, Robert Millan wrote:
> No, but I think there will be a relevant number of users transitioning through
> this state (IIRC release notes recommend to upgrade userland first, then
> kernel).  For some, their network will stop working and they'll have to figure
> out how to bring it up.

Why is the network going to stop working?  Removing the hotplug package
unloads the modules for some reason?

If this is merely the race condition that udev may be installed and hotplug
removed before the etch kernel is installed and configured resulting in a
broken system on reboot, that race condition exists anyway regardless of
gnome's dependencies, so I don't see much benefit in changing gnome.

How likely is it that the converse would happen, that the etch kernel
package would be installed but udev is not, resulting in breakage on reboot
because hotplug is incompatible?  If anything, this case seems more likely
if the dependencies of gnome are changed.

> This could be done in many ways:

>   - In any part of the dependency chain between gnome-desktop-environment and
>     udev.
>   - Loosening as lowering to Recommends, or as adding hotplug as an alternative.

I'm pretty sure that the latter would not give the desired results.  What in
hotplug is going to provide matching functionality for what g-d-e is looking
for?

> Perhaps a good choice would be to get gnome-desktop-environment to depend on:

>   "gnome-volume-manager | hotplug"

That means significant functionality of the GNOME desktop would be
completely ignored by apt just because hotplug is installed.  Not a good
option, AFAICS.

-- 
Steve Langasek                   Give me a lever long enough and a Free OS
Debian Developer                   to set it on, and I can move the world.
vorlon at debian.org                                   http://www.debian.org/