[pkg-boost-devel] Bug#653228: Bug#653228: boost-defaults: libboost-*-dev 1.48.0.2 depend on libboost-*1.46-dev

[Thomas Krennwallner]

Hi Steve,

On Sun Dec 25, 2011 03:58:23PM -0600, Steve M. Robbins wrote:
> Hello Thomas,
> 
> On Sun, Dec 25, 2011 at 05:59:56PM +0100, Thomas Krennwallner wrote:
> > Source: boost-defaults
> > Severity: important
> > 
> > Hi!
> > 
> > When I try to install, e.g., libboost-filesystem-dev 1.48.0.2, the
> > dependencies forces to install libboost-filesystem1.46-dev. See also the
> > control file of boost-defaults:
> 
> I don't believe there is a bug here.  What happened is that
> 
> 1. I released boost defaults version 1.48.0.1 that changed the default to Boost 1.48.0.
> 2. It turns out this is too soon as there are packages that fail to build with Boost 1.48.
> 3. I released boost defaults version 1.48.0.2 that reverted the default back to 1.46.1.
> 
> I see now that versioning the boost-defaults according to the boost version is a mistake,
> but for the moment, that's what we're stuck with.  So it is weird and surprising that
> the current default is 1.46.1, but that's what it is.
> 
> If you still feel there is a bug, please reply with more details.
> Otherwise, please email 653228-done at bugs.debian.org to close this bug.

I see now, but then we have a problem. The semantics of libboost-*-dev
have always been, at least this was my understanding, to depend on the
latest stable version of boost. If one needs a particular (older)
version of boost, then we have the versioned packages
libboost-*N.MM-dev.

If a particular package FTBFS with the newest version of boost, then
it's a bug of that package. Which can be easily fixed by using
Build-Depends: libboost-*N.MM-dev and a re-upload.  Then, there is
enough time to fix the package by investigating what's wrong in the
first place with the latest stable version. In a sense, it's a good
thing that boost-defaults depends on the newest version, otw. people
don't realize that boost breaks their package and won't fix their
package early in time.

This was actually what I did when I run into the problem: I fixed my
package and then setup Build-Depends with libboost-*1.48-dev instead of
libboost-*-dev.

The question is now, how shall we proceed?

 1. If you think that libboost-*-dev should depend on /the currently
    most stable version of boost (wrt. the debian package archive)/,
    then there is nothing to do and we can close this bug.

 2. But if you feel that libboost-*-dev should depend on /the latest
    stable version of boost/, then I have the impression that we should
    force people to fix their package to depend on libboost-*N.MM-dev,
    as this is what they then depend on in reality.  Because changing
    boost-defaults later in time (weeks, months?) to depend on the
    new boost release will break those packages eventually.

I would opt for (2), as packages will only FTBFS with this change, it
won't break compiled packages, as they depend on the linked versioned
shared libraries. But that's just my 2 cents.

Best,
TK

-- 
Thomas Krennwallner
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TU Wien - Vienna University of Technology
Institute of Information Systems
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tkren AT kr DOT tuwien DOT ac DOT at
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