[Reportbug-maint] Bug#582218: reportbug: long package versions truncate package names to unreadability in package-version-list

[Andreas Beckmann]

Package: reportbug
Version: 4.12.1
Severity: normal

Hi,

is it possible to insert a newline between package name and package
version if they are "too long" and one would be truncated?
In the "packages reportbug suggests" list below this affects
"emacs22-bin-common |" and "postfix [mail-transp", but I have seen worse
examples:

Versions of packages nvidia-kernel-source recommends:
pn  module-assistant | kerne <none>          (no description available)
ii  nvidia-glx               195.36.24-1     NVIDIA binary Xorg driver
ii  nvidia-kernel-common     20100216+3+nmu1 NVIDIA binary kernel module common

Versions of packages nvidia-glx depends on:
ii  l 2.10.2-8                               Embedded GNU C Library: Shared lib
ii  l 2:1.3.3-3                              X11 client-side library
ii  l 2:1.1.1-3                              X11 miscellaneous extension librar
ii  n 195.36.24+0+nmu0anbe0+2.6.32-5-amd64-0 NVIDIA binary kernel module for Li
ii  n 195.36.24-1.0anbe0                     NVIDIA binary kernel module DKMS s

So what I would like to see is something like

Versions of packages nvidia-kernel-source recommends:
pn  module-assistant | kernel-package | some-infinitely-long-package-name-trunc
                             <none>          (no description available)
ii  nvidia-glx               195.36.24-1     NVIDIA binary Xorg driver

Versions of packages nvidia-glx depends on:
ii  libc6                       2.10.2-8     Embedded GNU C Library: Shared lib
....
ii  nvidia-kernel-2.6.32-5-amd64
      195.36.24+0+nmu0anbe0+2.6.32-5-amd64-0 NVIDIA binary kernel module for Li
....

and so on.

Oh, extending the length of the version we can do even worse:

Versions of packages nvidia-glx depends on:
ii          2.10.2-8                         Embedded GNU C Library: Shared lib
ii          2:1.3.3-3                        X11 client-side library
ii          2:1.1.1-3                        X11 miscellaneous extension librar
ii          195.36.24+0+nmu0anbe0+2.6.32-5-a NVIDIA binary kernel module for Li
ii          195.36.24+0+nmu0anbe0+2.6.32-5-v NVIDIA binary kernel module for Li
ii          195.36.24-1.0anbe0               NVIDIA binary kernel module DKMS s

now there is nothing left at all of the package name and we have some wasted
space. The two long-versioned packages were actually

ii  nvidia-kernel-2.6.32-5-amd64         195.36.24+0+nmu0anbe0+2.6.32-5-amd64-0         NVIDIA binary kernel module for Linux 2.6.32
ii  nvidia-kernel-2.6.32-5-vserver-amd64 195.36.24+0+nmu0anbe0+2.6.32-5-vserver-amd64-0 NVIDIA binary kernel module for Linux 2.6.32


Andreas

-- System Information:
Debian Release: squeeze/sid
  APT prefers stable
  APT policy: (800, 'stable'), (700, 'testing'), (600, 'unstable'), (130, 'experimental')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)

Kernel: Linux 2.6.32-5-amd64 (SMP w/2 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=en_US.utf8, LC_CTYPE=en_US.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/dash

Versions of packages reportbug depends on:
ii  apt                           0.7.25.3   Advanced front-end for dpkg
ii  python                        2.5.4-9    An interactive high-level object-o
ii  python-reportbug              4.12.1     Python modules for interacting wit

reportbug recommends no packages.

Versions of packages reportbug suggests:
ii  debconf-utils        1.5.32              debconf utilities
ii  debsums              2.0.48              tool for verification of installed
pn  dlocate              <none>              (no description available)
pn  emacs22-bin-common | <none>              (no description available)
ii  file                 5.04-2              Determines file type using "magic"
ii  gnupg                1.4.10-2            GNU privacy guard - a free PGP rep
ii  postfix [mail-transp 2.5.5-1.1           High-performance mail transport ag
ii  python-gtk2          2.17.0-2            Python bindings for the GTK+ widge
pn  python-gtkspell      <none>              (no description available)
pn  python-urwid         <none>              (no description available)
ii  python-vte           1:0.24.1-1          Python bindings for the VTE widget
ii  xdg-utils            1.0.2+cvs20100307-1 desktop integration utilities from

-- no debconf information