Dependency loops considered harmful?

[Toshio Kuratomi]

Thomas Moschny wrote:
> 2008/9/4 Toshio Kuratomi <a.badger at gmail.com>:
>> With that said, there needs to be a way for a developer to tell yum not
>> to prune away leaf packages if they want.
> 
> % yum install libFoo
> 
> this might look like a noop, because libFoo is already installed, but
> it would switch the bit for libFoo from 'installed-as-dependency' to
> 'first-class-installed'.
> 
That's a good point.

I'd much rather have a switch to turn the feature on or off per machine
than to have to remember this per library, though.  Apps can have a
myriad of dependencies.  Should the developer have to do sudo yum
install libFoo for every one of these?  Everytime he grows a new
dependency?  Everytime he tries out libFoo vs libUWFoo to do his dirty
work?  Much better to (1) get hit by this, (2) curse, (3) google, (4)
flip one config file switch than to (1) get hit by this, (2) google, (3)
yum install libFoo libBar, (4) add a new dependency to your package, (5)
get hit by this, (6) yum install libBaz, (7) get hit by this, (8) curse,
(9) switch to ArchLinux.

-Toshio

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