[wpkg-users] [Bug 209] Replace variables in package revisions by their value in local wpkg.xml file

[bugzilla-daemon at bugzilla.wpkg.org]

http://bugzilla.wpkg.org/show_bug.cgi?id=209

--- Comment #2 from Stefan Pendl <pendl2megabit at yahoo.de>  ---
Rainer,

You are correct in your assumptions.

For me the package revision is not independent from the revision of the
software installed by it.
I only change revisions, if the software revision changes.
In addition, the report tools display the revision of the software, if used as
the package revision.
I see no reason to include the software version in the package name.

For instance the default version for Firefox is v4.0.1.
For testing the upgrade to v5.0, I add the appropriate PKG_VER variable in the
profile of my test-hosts.
I see no reason to introduce one package for each new Firefox release, since
the upgrade overwrites the previous version anyways.
In addition I can define a separate version for Win2k easily, if Firefox will
drop its support as it was done with Adobe Reader X.
I always had one single "Adobe Reader" package, not one for each release.

I have more than 200 packages to maintain, so I like to not have additional
packages just for each new release of a software, which is not installed
concurrently with the old release.

The local wpkg.xml file reflects the current, frozen state of the computer, so
I see no problem in replacing the dynamic revision with a static one in that
file.
The installed revision does not need to be dynamic, so replacing the variable
by its value is just a way to freeze the revision at its installed state.

While testing a package, I start with revision="%PKG_VER%rc1" and increase the
RC value until everything is working as expected.
The package will be released with the RC suffix removed.

In general, I use the package revision variable for the uninstall version, the
version of the main executable and the name of the installer.
Not every package allows all of these, but in most cases the majority of those
places can be covered by one variable.

I think the whole debate is based on restrictions of older releases of WPKG.
Dotted revision numbers are now supported, but this was not always the case.
Variable expansion is supported in many places, which was added just recently.

In the case of Firefox, I only need to change one variable and the latest
version gets installed. No need to change the version number in a bunch of
places, or to add another package, removing the old one.
I see no reason in removing the previous release and install the new one.

---
Stefan

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