On Sun, Jan 11, 2004 at 06:06:47PM +0100, Enrico Scholz wrote:
Axel Thimm Axel.Thimm@physik.fu-berlin.de writes:
Larger release numbers win over newer distributions.
Same with V.R.D...
Yes, but only within a repoid world, not accross different repoid, e.g.
-1.1.es.rhfc5 loses over -1.1.fdr.rhfc1
which is clearly not what you want if you are considering more than one repo.
Why should the 'es' package win over the 'fdr' one?
Maybe, because it is build for FC5 at the end of 2005 instead of the version for FC1?
If OTOH you are defining this for a non-repo-mixing world like fedora.us, you don't even have to add a repotag ...
It is used there for informational purposes, and it should not be used for other ones.
So make it order insiginificant and move it towards the end of the release tag, maybe that far, that it drops off.
Using it as an ordering parameter would not be wise. %release can be compared within the same repository only, but not between repositories.
There _are_ some repositories coordinating. Why throw that away?
When coordinated repositories are having distinct packagesets, this whole discussion is unneeded. Having overlapping packagesets is duplicate work and sounds like russian roulette to me: the most modified package wins which might be either a sign of good maintainership, or of unability to make it working.
There are quite valid reasons (and welcomed, too) for packages being overridden by other repositories, for example
o if a first tier repository is only allowed to ship a crippled version of some software for whatever reason (patents, non-OSS components disabled, etc.), as well as o if a package in a repository will not be maintained anymore like products reaching their EOL, o you need a fast security update, o you build a custom repo with custom modification (where this repo could even be private in a company), o possible more reasons, just check all existing repos, all have had an upgrade of some base component for one reason or another.
Back to the the core matter: As placing the repotag in front of the disttag only obstructs things, please don't suggest it. Place it after the disttag or drop it. My suggestion for specs:
Make it an optional suffix to relase tags:
releasetag := <build>[.<disttag>][.<releasetag>]
(for completeness sake disttag is also flagged as optional as some packages like firmware packages can be safely assumed cross distribution valid).