[Bug 988772] Re: apt-get --only-upgrade install $PKG installs new packages

[Daniel Hartwig]

The documentation makes clear that ‘--only-upgrade’ applies its
restriction to the packages specified on the command line only.  Its
purpose is to prevent the user accidentally asking for new software.  It
is not intended to restrict upgrades of existing software including e.g.
if such an upgrade requires a new dependency to be installed.

I do not believe ‘--only-upgrade’ should have its scope changed as
requested.

Aptitude supports a ‘--no-new-installs’ option to achieve the desired
behaviour, however, after some consideration of the matters I do not
believe that it is useful enough to justify the additional complexity in
the implementation.


** Summary changed:

- apt-get --only-upgrade install $PKG installs new packages
+ 'apt-get install --only-upgrade' should prevent installing new dependencies

** Changed in: apt (Ubuntu)
       Status: Invalid => Opinion

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/988772

Title:
  'apt-get install --only-upgrade' should prevent installing new
  dependencies

Status in “apt” package in Ubuntu:
  Opinion

Bug description:
  (I guess this bug should be handled by Debian but I have no Debian box
  at hand to test it)

  From apt-get(8):
         --only-upgrade
             Do not install new packages; When used in conjunction
             with install, only-upgrade will prevent packages on the
             command line from being upgraded if they are not already
             installed. Configuration Item: APT::Get::Only-Upgrade.

  (If you get confused by the descriptions of --no-upgrade and --only-
  upgrade (like I did) take a look at http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-
  bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=669409)

  What happens on Ubuntu 11.04:

  (SSH into Ubuntu-box, "apt-get --only-upgrade install" a pkg reported as hold back)
  -bash-4.2$ ssh host
  Welcome to Ubuntu 11.04 (GNU/Linux 2.6.38-14-generic-pae i686)

   * Documentation:  https://help.ubuntu.com/

  Last login: Thu Apr 26 11:12:47 2012 from 192.168.0.128
  user at host:~$ env LC_ALL=C sudo apt-get --only-upgrade install nautilus-dropbox
  [sudo] password for user: 
  Reading package lists... Done
  Building dependency tree       
  Reading state information... Done
  The following extra packages will be installed:
    dropbox
  Suggested packages:
    python-gpgme
  The following NEW packages will be installed:
    dropbox
  The following packages will be upgraded:
    nautilus-dropbox
  1 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
  Need to get 95.5 kB of archives.
  After this operation, 45.1 kB of additional disk space will be used.
  Do you want to continue [Y/n]? n
  Abort.
  floh at ebkaffee:~$ export LC_ALL=C
  floh at ebkaffee:~$ apt-cache policy apt
  apt:
    Installed: 0.8.13.2ubuntu4.4
    Candidate: 0.8.13.2ubuntu4.4
    Version table:
   *** 0.8.13.2ubuntu4.4 0
          500 ftp://ftp.fu-berlin.de/linux/ubuntu/ natty-updates/main i386 Packages
          500 ftp://ftp.fu-berlin.de/linux/ubuntu/ natty-security/main i386 Packages
          500 http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ natty-security/main i386 Packages
          100 /var/lib/dpkg/status
       0.8.13.2ubuntu2 0
          500 ftp://ftp.fu-berlin.de/linux/ubuntu/ natty/main i386 Packages
  floh at ebkaffee:~$ lsb_release -rd
  Description:    Ubuntu 11.04
  Release:        11.04

  
  I guess "apt-get --only-upgrade install" should fail on packages with dependancies added in the new version.

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 11.04
  Package: apt 0.8.13.2ubuntu4.4
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 2.6.38-14.58-generic-pae 2.6.38.8
  Uname: Linux 2.6.38-14-generic-pae i686
  NonfreeKernelModules: openafs
  Architecture: i386
  Date: Thu Apr 26 11:13:28 2012
  ProcEnviron:
   LANG=de_DE.UTF-8
   SHELL=/bin/bash
  SourcePackage: apt
  UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to natty on 2011-07-23 (277 days ago)

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