:: Re: [DNG] Why Debian 8 Pinning is (…
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Author: Simon Hobson
Date:  
To: dng@lists.dyne.org
Subject: Re: [DNG] Why Debian 8 Pinning is (or isn't) pointless
Rick Moen <rick@???> wrote:

> 'Doing' something that is functionally indistinguishable from doing
> nothing. And a '000' rights mask would be fully effective paranoia
> insurance.


Present tense and gaffer tape. Of course, any libsystemd package update will rip that gaffer tape off so it's one more thing to keep checking/fixing on an ongoing basis.

> Are you capable of preventing the installation of package systemd? I
> am. Thus, libsystemd0 does, in end-result, nothing.


Present tense again.

Can you, with crystal ball, 100% guarantee that something like libsystemd won't get "feature enhanced" at some point ? When packages have gone down the route of gratuitous dependencies and then start finding that it would be easier if libsystemd did "just this one thing" even when systemd itself isn't installed.
I would not put such actions past the systemd gang "just to make life easier" for those packagers "supporting" them but with users fiddling with pinning and such.

I understand that you don't see much point to Devuan because clearly for you, gaffer tape works fine. I see a point because pinning etc is only gaffer tape, and as time goes one you'll need more and more gaffer tape. Don't get me wrong, gaffer tape is great stuff - but I'd be mighty peed off if I took my car in for (eg) a service and it came back with bits held on with gaffer tape.


And one more thing.
You've argued about (or at least discussed) the % of packages dependent on systemd. When you came up with your 90-something percent, was that direct dependencies, or did you account for A depends on B, B depends on C, C depends on D, and D depends on systemd ? Because if you didn't, then you'll have included A, B, and C in your count which is bogus.
But the actual number is irrelevant anyway. I really really REALLY don't give a fig if there are 40+k packages that don't depend on systemd if there is ONE package I need to run which does. We need 100% - not 99%, not 99.9%, but 100% - of the packages I want/need to run to be free of systemd in order to be systemd free.