Bug#861783: dpkg: trying to local divert a file diverted by a package does not work

[Guillem Jover]

Control: reassign -1 firefox,firefox-esr
Control: retitle -1 firefox: Usage of diversions disallows more than two installed implementations
Control: severity -1 wishlist

Hi!

On Wed, 2017-05-03 at 18:48:34 -0700, Joshua wrote:
> Package: dpkg
> Version: 1.18.23
> Severity: normal

>    * What led up to the situation?
> 
> firefox-esr has a diversion of /usr/bin/firefox; and package firefox-esr
> must be installed for dependency resolution; however I actually need
> to use a package of firefox that doesn't have a .dpkg
> 
> So I try dpkg-divert /usr/bin/firefox
> 
> Nope!

(If the suggestions below end up not being accepted, then you could
simply use your local firefox, and create a dummy package to fulfill
dependencies with something like equivs.)

>    * What exactly did you do (or not do) that was effective (or
>      ineffective)?
> 
> All variants of dpkg-divert that remotely made sense to try.
> 
> I tried reading the source code to determine if I could safely knock
> the check out. This was inconclusive as I don't understand it well enough
> to tell what would happen.

The problem is that diversion are not stackable, so only a couple of
packages providing the same pathname can be installed at the same
time, if there's need for more then those should be using alternatives
for example.

>    * What was the outcome of this action?
> 
> Frustration.
> 
>    * What outcome did you expect instead?
> 
> let go of /usr/bin/firefox so I could add symlink
>     /usr/bin/firefox -> /usr/local/lib/firefox/firefox

That's something for the firefox maintainers to decide.

Thanks,
Guillem