[ale] if 'dpkg' is removed, will this entirely disable all up-dating/grading & apt-getfunctions?

[Courtney Thomas]

Thank you for the prompt clarification.

I currently have dpkg 1.13.22 installed and have no interest in upgrading.
I only bring  all this up because in the attempt to install an initrd-tools
pkg that is acceptable to kernel-image-2.4.27-2-k7, a new initrd-tools is
required which requires removing dpkg as a subprocess.

Apparently I 'm doin'  a poor job of transmitting & receiving for which
I apologize.

I have assumed that everything is a front end for dpkg, and that's why in
my former posting I said that I was so surprised that any installation would
remove dpkg.

I seem to be at a point where I cannot go 'forward' without removing dpkg
which, as I understand it, dumps me into a soft cul-de-sac. Bizarre indeed.

I thank you for all your time & patience in this matter,
Sincerely,
Courtney


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "James Sumners" <james.sumners at gmail.com>
To: ale at ale.org
To: "Atlanta Linux Enthusiasts" <ale at ale.org>
Sent: Monday, October 23, 2006 9:55 AM
Subject: Re: [ale] if 'dpkg' is removed,will this entirely disable all
up-dating/grading & apt-getfunctions?


> No, I am not saying that at all; I have said at least twice now that
> everything used to download packages and install them are frontends
> for dpkg. That is, apt is merely an easy way to download packages and
> install them at the same time without having to know dpkg. If you
> install dpkg directly, apt should download the deb for the new version
> of dpkg and tell your current version of dpkg o install the new one.
> Thus, dpkg should replace itself without being removed. When doing so,
> you should see some text similar to "Replacing dpkg 0.1.1 with new
> version..."
>
> If you like, you can do `apt-get --download-only install dpkg` to
> download the new deb for dpkg. Then, `dpkg --dry-run --install
> /var/cache/apt/archives/dpkg_1.10.28_i386.deb` to check and see what
> would happen. If that doesn't give any bad results, just remove the
> '--dry-run' switch to actually install the new dpkg. In fact, this is
> probably the better way to install the new version if want to be
> doubly sure of things not going wrong.
>
> I have a hard time believing that that you don't already have dpkg
> 1.10.28 installed if you did an `apt-get dist-upgrade` after changing
> your sources list from referencing Woody to referencing Sarge.
>
> On 10/23/06, Courtney Thomas <courtneycthomas at bellsouth.net> wrote:
> > James,
> >
> > Am I correct in assuming that you are implicitly saying.....
> >
> > _______________________________________________________
> > apt-get is independent of dpkg, and that,.....
> >
> > EVEN IF dpkg IS MISSING, you CAN still install dpkg with apt-get ?
> > _______________________________________________________
> >
> >
> > Regarding my travail in all this.....I am at this point taking all
> > this to be a learning experience and if I can finally salvage and
> > repair this system, I think I'll have a much better grasp of Debian,
> > even if it's only at the operational level, which has a lot of value
> > to a user, at least this one  :-)
> >
> > I am not discouraged and in fact am pleased at how much I've learned,
> > thanks a lot to you.
> >
> > Cordially,
> > Courtney
>
> -- 
> James Sumners
> http://james.roomfullofmirrors.com/
>
> "All governments suffer a recurring problem: Power attracts
> pathological personalities. It is not that power corrupts but that it
> is magnetic to the corruptible. Such people have a tendency to become
> drunk on violence, a condition to which they are quickly addicted."
>
> Missionaria Protectiva, Text QIV (decto)
> CH:D 59
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>