Bug#760458: Please add an alternative to 'init' which is satisfiable on stable

[David Kalnischkies]

Package: init
Version: 1.21


Hi!

At the moment, the new essential init package has a
  Pre-Depends: systemd-sysv | sysvinit-core | upstart
which causes some trouble for stable users with testing sources as apt
wants to install this new essential package on their systems resulting
in all sorts of "funny" solutions in a (dist-)upgrade done to move to
a new point release for example (just imagine: both systemd-sysv and
upstart exist in stable, while sysvinit-core doesn't …)

(The reason that apt does it is simply that every testing package
potentially implicitly depends on this essential package, so it has to
install it or otherwise testing packages might explode – aptitude
doesn't do this at the moment as arguable, it happens more often that
it creates a problem like this one where none existed previously than it
solves a problem, but regardless of how much we like it or not it is
still something we have to deal with one way or another)


I /think/, hence the subject, that the easiest solution would be to have
an init package in testing which can be installed on stable without
bringing in systemd/upstart if the init system itself isn't upgraded.
Something like:

  Pre-Depends: systemd-sysv | sysvinit-core | upstart | sysvinit (<< 2.88dsf-44)

[the versionnumber is a guess from the introduction of -core]

Theory is that on a (dist-)upgrade to a new release (jessie) the new
alternative becomes an invalid choice so that systemd-sysv is choosen as
it is/was the plan, while on a stable system which is just trying to
install packages from testing the alternative is a viable choice given
that an upgrade of/to (any) init system isn't attempt (point release).


I haven't tested this at all (just an educated guess from an apt POV),
but wanted to ask if you think this might be a viable solution and/or if
you have another idea.


Best regards

David Kalnischkies
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