[maemo-developers] Getting package with lower version into extras-testing

[From: Cornelius Hald]

Tim Teulings wrote:
> People do updates with the application manager on extras-devel. If there is
> a package with multiple version in the repository, application manager will
> only show and allow update to the packages with the highest version number.
> A repository togetehr with the application manager does not work like a
> file system. Also if a device has already downloaded a package version with
> higher number, placing an package with lower version number will not result
> in an update on the device. So why should one upload a package nobody will
> ever see or get? Depending on upload and download time different things
> will happen on the device.

Exactly. If I upload e.g. 0.5.6 (stable) to extras-devel where there is 
already 0.6.0-alpha9 (unstable) the users still will get the unstable 
version which is exactly what I want. In fact I don´t need to have the 
stable version in extras-devel at all, but I have to put it there first 
to be able to promote it to extras-testing.

> However you now clain that extras-devel is a staging repository for
> extras-testing and extras where you want multiple packages version where
> different package version go into different target repositories, so above
> should be allowed. I would say: No. extras-testing is not a target
> repository it is only a transitional repository where packages should be
> placed because on wants them to get them into extras. So packages that are
> placed into extras-testing should be of the kind "I think it is bug free,
> you, too?" and not "I know it is buggy, just take a look at the future" (in
> fact QA people will take a look at extras-testing and will test sofwtare
> that is known to be unstable).

I never said I want to put buggy software into extras-testing. I want to 
put stable software into extras-testing!

Of course extras-testing is only a transitional repository and of course 
the package should move to extras after some testing. That is, why I 
would only promote the stable version from extras-devel to 
extras-testing and I would leave the unstable version in extras-devel.

I think extras-devel is exactly for that. It´s the first step for a new 
package. So unstable packages should go there.
Now, once my 0.6-alphaX version will reach let´s say 0.6.0 and I 
consider it stable, then I´ll promote it to extras-testing. There it 
will replace the 0.5.x versions and testers can test it. Once they think 
it´s stable, I´ll promote it to extras where it also will replace the 
0.5.x versions.

In this way there is only on package and the users decides which version 
he wants. If he has enabled extras-devel he´ll get the unstable version, 
if he has enabled extras-testing he´ll get the testing version, and so on.

> I would suggest to give "next stable version but currenttly still buggy" a
> special new package name like myapp-unstable or myapp6 (where 5 is the
> current version) (and keep this version in extras-devel). This was already
> suggested and sound much cleaner.

I will go that way if it´s the way to go, but I would like to understand 
why my way is wrong. I think it makes more sense to have only one 
package and to leave the definition on whether it is stable or not to 
the repository which it is in. If I create a -stable and a -devel 
version I make it more difficult and confusing for a user to upgrade 
from the unstable to the final version.

Sorry to be so persistent, but I still don´t understand why I should 
have two packages.

Cheers!
Conny