[Aptitude-devel] Bug#810550: grammar and indentation of unmet dependencies message

[Manuel A. Fernandez Montecelo]

Control: tags -1 + wontfix
Control: close -1


Hi,

2016-01-09 17:11 積丹尼 Dan Jacobson:
>Package: aptitude
>Version: 0.7.5-3
>Severity: minor
>
>$ aptitude install xserver-xorg-core
>...
>The following packages have unmet dependencies:
> xserver-xorg-video-fbdev : Depends: xorg-video-abi-19 which is a virtual package, provided by:
>                                     - xserver-xorg-core (2:1.18.0-1) provides xorg-video-abi-19=2:1.17.3-2, but 2:1.18.0-1 is to be installed.
>
> xserver-xorg-input-kbd : Depends: xorg-input-abi-21 which is a virtual package, provided by:
>                                   - xserver-xorg-core (2:1.18.0-1) provides xorg-input-abi-21=2:1.17.3-2, but 2:1.18.0-1 is to be installed.
>
> xserver-xorg-input-evdev : Depends: xorg-input-abi-21 which is a virtual package, provided by:
>                                     - xserver-xorg-core (2:1.18.0-1) provides xorg-input-abi-21=2:1.17.3-2, but 2:1.18.0-1 is to be installed.
>
>Problem 1: too much indentation. Wraps on many terminals. Try instead:
>
>The following packages have unmet dependencies:
> xserver-xorg-video-fbdev : Depends: xorg-video-abi-19 which is a virtual package, provided by:
>  - xserver-xorg-core (2:1.18.0-1) provides xorg-video-abi-19=2:1.17.3-2, but 2:1.18.0-1 is to be installed.
> xserver-xorg-input-kbd : Depends: xorg-input-abi-21 which is a virtual package, provided by:
>  - xserver-xorg-core (2:1.18.0-1) provides xorg-input-abi-21=2:1.17.3-2, but 2:1.18.0-1 is to be installed.
> xserver-xorg-input-evdev : Depends: xorg-input-abi-21 which is a virtual package, provided by:
>  - xserver-xorg-core (2:1.18.0-1) provides xorg-input-abi-21=2:1.17.3-2, but 2:1.18.0-1 is to be installed.
>
>There. That looks much better.

This is longer now because now it includes information about the virtual
package and its version, previously it confused other people which
blamed aptitude for problems related to package dependencies.

The indentation that you propose would be incorrect in some cases.  The
package and version names in this example are one of the longest in the
archive, but normally this is shorter, and your version in this case is
wider than the standard 80 characters anyway, for example.


>Problem 2. English:
>Let's look at
>
>xserver-xorg-video-fbdev : Depends: xorg-video-abi-19 which is a virtual package, provided by:
>  - xserver-xorg-core (2:1.18.0-1) provides xorg-video-abi-19=2:1.17.3-2, but 2:1.18.0-1 is to be installed.
>
> A : Depends: B which is a virtual package, provided by:
>  - C provides D, but E is to be installed.
>
>Maybe this means:
>
> A : Depends: B which is a virtual package, provided by:
>  - C which provides D, but E is to be installed.
>
>If so then please add the word "which".
>
>If not then please reword it "so it at least passes a third grader's
>grammar test!" Thanks!

Most of this was written by a native US person, so I don't think that
it's that bad.

Adding "which" would make it longer, contradictory with the previous
request.


Cheers.
-- 
Manuel A. Fernandez Montecelo <manuel.montezelo at gmail.com>