[Aptitude-devel] Bug#663019: "aptitude purge <package>" recursively REMOVES BUT DOES NOT PURGE reverse dependencies either

[georgiytreyvus at riseup.net]

package: aptitude
version: 0.6.3


An issue related to the one I reported here:
http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=661188

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Only this time around it's for reverse dependencies. Ironically enough
apt-get beats out aptitude for once. I never thought I'd live to see the
day.

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Say I install the package byobu:

[root at mepis1 demo]# aptitude install byobu
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  byobu python-newt{a} screen{a}
0 packages upgraded, 3 newly installed, 0 to remove and 186 not upgraded.
...

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All goes fine. Now say I try purging python-newt:

[root at mepis1 demo]# aptitude purge --purge-unused python-newt
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  python-newt{p}
0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 186 not upgraded.
Need to get 0 B of archives. After unpacking 221 kB will be freed.
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
  byobu: Depends: python-newt (>= 0.52.2-11) but it is not going to be
installed.
The following actions will resolve these dependencies:

     Remove the following packages:
1)     byobu



Accept this solution? [Y/n/q/?] y
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  byobu{a} python-newt{p} screen{pu}
...

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Notice that reverse dependency byobu has no purge marking next to the a.
After the fact more confirmation that it was removed but not purged is:
[root at mepis1 demo]# aptitude search byobu
c   byobu                           - a set of useful profiles and a
profile-swi
v   byobu-extras                    -

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Now after a reinstall apt-get does the correct job when purging:

[root at mepis1 demo]# apt-get purge python-newt
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following package was automatically installed and is no longer required:
  screen
Use 'apt-get autoremove' to remove them.
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  byobu* python-newt*
...

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And yet more confirmation though at this point it's overkill that byobu
was correctly purged:
[root at mepis1 demo]# aptitude search byobu
pi  byobu                           - a set of useful profiles and a
profile-swi
v   byobu-extras                    -

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Also what's the i flag doing now that byobu was purged?