How to stop making downgrading a PITA?

Lazar · 2010-09-05 04:18:25

A recent aur package update I got was broken (and broke everything that depended on it). "No problem", I thought, "I'll just report the issue to the maintainer and meanwhile downgrade to the previous version." Now, I'm fairly new to this distro, so I hadn't had the need to downgrade an AUR package before, but I figured it would be around somewhere, so...

* I scanned my system with locate and grep and found... nothing but the latest broken installed version.
* I checked the AUR website and found... nothing but the latest broken installed version.
* I checked the upstream website... nothing but the latest broken installed version.
* I then found a link to http://arm.konnichi.com/, but it includes no AUR packages.
T_T

Well then how do I configure my system (or aurhelper; packer, in my case) to keep the second most recent version of every installed package? And why isn't such a setup the default or at least an easily found option parameter? Where is this information on the wiki?

This is the first time I'm disappointed with Arch -- otherwise I'm pleased as punch with it =)

karol · 2010-09-05 04:37:54

Bauerbill has

       --cache-built
              Move built packages to the cache. If PKGDEST is set in makepkg.conf, it  will  take  precedence  over
              this option.

which may be what you're looking for.

Lazar · 2010-09-05 06:32:11

karol wrote:

Bauerbill has

       --cache-built
              Move built packages to the cache. If PKGDEST is set in makepkg.conf, it  will  take  precedence  over
              this option.

which may be what you're looking for.

Yes, thanks. I've just sent an email to the maintainer of packer asking for a feature like that.

I really don't understand why this isn't default behavior already in every package build tool...

karol · 2010-09-05 06:48:22

Lazar wrote:

karol wrote:
Bauerbill has
       --cache-built
              Move built packages to the cache. If PKGDEST is set in makepkg.conf, it  will  take  precedence  over
              this option.
which may be what you're looking for.
Yes, thanks. I've just sent an email to the maintainer of packer asking for a feature like that.

I really don't understand why this isn't default behavior already in every package build tool...

Maybe because it's Arch and it's expected that the user will make the decisions. No cruft, no defaults, no limitations.

Lazar · 2010-09-05 07:03:46

karol wrote:

Maybe because it's Arch and it's expected that the user will make the decisions. No cruft, no defaults, no limitations.

That's nonsense. Every package has a default. All I'm suggesting is for packages to use a different default (in my opinion a more sensible default).

And how should the user "make the decisions" if the package in question doesn't give you the options?

karol · 2010-09-05 07:07:40

Lazar wrote:

And how should the user "make the decisions" if the package in question doesn't give you the options?

Pick one that does, for example.

wonder · 2010-09-05 07:21:14

for your own information packages in AUR areunsupported, this means that you use them on your own risk. If you say that the package screwed something in the system, you should report them on aur-general and we will delete or fix it(maybe the maintainer doesn't have a very good experience)

Last edited by wonder (2010-09-05 07:21:49)

Lazar · 2010-09-05 07:30:46

wonder wrote:

If you say that the package screwed something in the system, you should report them on aur-general and we will delete or fix it(maybe the maintainer doesn't have a very good experience)

I reported the issue right away through a comment on the package at aur.archlinux.org.

Anyway, the author of packer replied to me that what I want to do is already supported by setting PKGDEST in /etc/makepkg.conf... which, yes, I somehow failed to figure out myself... ._.

A hint in the documentation on the wiki would have been nice though. I'll see if I can add it myself.

karol · 2010-09-05 07:35:52

Lazar wrote:

wonder wrote:
If you say that the package screwed something in the system, you should report them on aur-general and we will delete or fix it(maybe the maintainer doesn't have a very good experience)
I reported the issue right away through a comment on the package at aur.archlinux.org.
Anyway, the author of packer replied to me that what I want to do is already supported by setting PKGDEST in /etc/makepkg.conf... which, yes, I somehow failed to figure out myself... ._.
A hint in the documentation on the wiki would have been nice though. I'll see if I can add it myself.

I've already posted that out: https://bbs.archlinux.org/viewtopic.php … 89#p821389

Arch is for people who can read man pages, recreating them in the wiki does not make any sense.

tomk · 2010-09-05 07:51:24

Lazar wrote:

A hint in the documentation on the wiki would have been nice though. I'll see if I can add it myself.

The documentation is not at fault - man makepkg has the details.

Two hints for the future:
- don't expect to find everything in the wiki. There are other resources, often more authoritative.
- learn how Arch packages are actually created. packer/clyde/bauerbill/etc have their uses, but you should familiarise yourself with the underlying process before using them.

Arch Linux

#1 2010-09-05 04:18:25

How to stop making downgrading a PITA?

#2 2010-09-05 04:37:54

Re: How to stop making downgrading a PITA?

#3 2010-09-05 06:32:11

Re: How to stop making downgrading a PITA?

#4 2010-09-05 06:48:22

Re: How to stop making downgrading a PITA?

#5 2010-09-05 07:03:46

Re: How to stop making downgrading a PITA?

#6 2010-09-05 07:07:40

Re: How to stop making downgrading a PITA?

#7 2010-09-05 07:21:14

Re: How to stop making downgrading a PITA?

#8 2010-09-05 07:30:46

Re: How to stop making downgrading a PITA?

#9 2010-09-05 07:35:52

Re: How to stop making downgrading a PITA?

#10 2010-09-05 07:51:24

Re: How to stop making downgrading a PITA?

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