feature-proposal: apt-get : single-package reinstallation

[Sean Champ]

hello.

i've come across a need to reinstall some packages, a few times so far.

( yeah, this probably shouldn't need to be done, by someone who knows
what they're doing. that's why i'm trying to learn. )

( and most recently, this reinstall-need is a result of kluding up some things
xFree-related, while trying to install x 4.0.1 from the un-debianized
distribution. 

( now, xemacs works from root, but for non-root attempts at use it (xemacs)
complains about libXaw.6.so , or something like that, and does not start. ) )


so, a proposal:

maybe a 'reinstall' option for apt-get ?

( even reinstalling xfree86-common and xlib6g hasn't seemed to fix the emacs
problem, and it looks like )


clause:

using the '--force-yes' arg on apt-get 
still didn't accomplish the desired effect
( which was: remove xlib6g and _only_ xlib6g )




and, restating the request:

something to remove a package, without removing _any_ of the packages 
that
depend upon it ( with the intended purpose of an immediate re-install of that
package )


( and a final comment: this should be helpful for any case of a mistake that
breaks some things that were installed by package-z )



ready for comments,


--
sean

Re: feature-proposal: apt-get : single-package reinstallation

[Jaume Teixi]

 so, a proposal:

 maybe a 'reinstall' option for apt-get ?

hi Steve,

you allways can do:

apt-get --reinstall install _pkgname_

and if you really want a completelly sane reinstall, previously you can do:

apt-get --purge remove _pkgname_


Bests,
jaume.

Re: feature-proposal: apt-get : single-package reinstallation

[Ben Collins]

On Wed, Aug 30, 2000 at 07:09:54AM -0700, Sean Champ wrote:
 hello.
 
 i've come across a need to reinstall some packages, a few times so far.
 
 ( yeah, this probably shouldn't need to be done, by someone who knows
   what they're doing. that's why i'm trying to learn. )
 
 ( and most recently, this reinstall-need is a result of kluding up some things
 xFree-related, while trying to install x 4.0.1 from the un-debianized
 distribution. 
 
 ( now, xemacs works from root, but for non-root attempts at use it (xemacs)
 complains about libXaw.6.so , or something like that, and does not start. ) )
 
 
 so, a proposal:
 
   maybe a 'reinstall' option for apt-get ?

apt-get --reinstall install pkg

IOW, it's been done already, man apt-get will show this :)

-- 
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Re: feature-proposal: apt-get : single-package reinstallation

[Paul Seelig]

On Wed, 30 Aug 2000, Sean Champ wrote:

 so, a proposal:
 
   maybe a 'reinstall' option for apt-get ?
 
It's already there.  Just RTFM the man page:

- from apt-get(8) ---
   --reinstall
  Re-Install  packages that are already installed and
  at the newest version.
- from apt-get(8) ---

   Cheers, P. *8^)