stephane ducasse <stephane.ducasse at gmail.com> writes:
> Package universes are not the solution to the problem I described.
> At the end of the process of course you can get a number of package
> working in the context of an
> universe.
> Now in the process of getting a set of package working together you
> need to identify
> that package 1.5 is working with packageX 2.1 because you want to be
> able to rollback
> or to reload them together. This is why we had a script loader and
> kept all this information.



I believe package universes will do just what you need.  It will
record a set of package versions.  If and when you decide a package
version is good, you add it to the universe.

To elaborate, the process would be as follows.  Start with *some*
reasonable set of packages that (mostly) work together.  For each
package you are thinking of adding, load it along with all other
packages you are considering, and test the new package.  If everything
seems fine, then add the new package to the universe.  Repeat over
time, and your package universe will evolve.

For sure, I have much less experience installing different versions of
packages than you, so maybe I am being naive.  What do you see that I
am missing?  If you had a way to record a collection of package
versions, what more would you want?


FWIW, the approach is good enough for Debian and Ubuntu, where there
are a lot more packages than in Squeak.


Keep in mind, by the way, that it is especially helpful for you if
*other* developers use the same universe you as a distribution-builder
are working on.  Then, all developers in your circle tend to use
approximately the same package versions, anyway.

-Lex