Package: apt
Version: 2.9.19
Severity: wishlist
X-Debbugs-Cc: josh@joshtriplett.org

apt-get and apt support a -U option to update before running the
command. Please consider providing an option in apt.conf to always act
as if this option were provided. That would allow (for instance) CI
systems to make `apt install xyz` Just Work.

I would suggest an `Apt::Get::Update` option, with possible values
"true", "false", and (perhaps in the future) "binaries" (to update only
binary repos and not source repos).

-- System Information:
Debian Release: trixie/sid
APT prefers unstable
APT policy: (500, 'unstable'), (1, 'experimental')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Foreign Architectures: arm64

Kernel: Linux 6.12.6-amd64 (SMP w/12 CPU threads; PREEMPT)
Locale: LANG=C.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=C.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8), LANGUAGE not set
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /usr/bin/dash
Init: systemd (via /run/systemd/system)

Versions of packages apt depends on:
ii adduser 3.137
ii base-passwd 3.6.5
ii debian-archive-keyring 2023.4
ii libapt-pkg6.0t64 2.9.19
ii libc6 2.40-4
ii libgcc-s1 14.2.0-11
ii libseccomp2 2.5.5-2
ii libssl3t64 3.3.2-2
ii libstdc++6 14.2.0-11
ii libsystemd0 257.1-4
ii sqv 1.2.1-4

Versions of packages apt recommends:
ii ca-certificates 20241223

Versions of packages apt suggests:
pn apt-doc <none>
ii aptitude 0.8.13-6.1
ii dpkg-dev 1.22.11
ii gnupg 2.2.45-2
pn powermgmt-base <none>

-- no debconf information

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

On Fri, Dec 27, 2024 at 02:36:51AM -0800, Josh Triplett wrote:

Package: apt
Version: 2.9.19
Severity: wishlist
X-Debbugs-Cc: josh@joshtriplett.org

apt-get and apt support a -U option to update before running the
command. Please consider providing an option in apt.conf to always act
as if this option were provided. That would allow (for instance) CI
systems to make `apt install xyz` Just Work.

I would suggest an `Apt::Get::Update` option, with possible values
"true", "false", and (perhaps in the future) "binaries" (to update only binary repos and not source repos).

This is controllable by the APT::Update option. All command-line options
are just syntactic sugar for apt.conf options. As the feature is experimental, and not working correctly (it doesn't acquire and hold the locks
throughout but behaves exactly like update&&upgrade), it's not documented.

The goal is to fix the locking issue, add a separate stamp file, and
then switch the default to automatically update on missing sources or
if we haven't updated in 7 days.
--
debian developer - deb.li/jak | jak-linux.org - free software dev
ubuntu core developer i speak de, en

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)

Am Fri, Dec 27, 2024 at 02:36:51AM -0800, schrieb Josh Triplett:

apt-get and apt support a -U option to update before running the
command. Please consider providing an option in apt.conf to always act

Given how command line parsing works in apt, this already has a config option… `APT::Update` (but Julian was faster than I was; lets sent the
mail anyway).

as if this option were provided. That would allow (for instance) CI
systems to make `apt install xyz` Just Work.

At the expense of just breaking mirrors as there is no cooldown or
anything that would stop apt from asking the mirror every time even if
you chain hundreds of install calls together like most people do in CI.

It is also kinda likely to break scripts or surprise you in other clever
ways as it quiet literally does what it says in the man page… so it e.g. effects also an innocent "apt install --dry-run foo" call. And the man
page mentions other problems.

In my eyes, this needs more work before we can let that loose on the
general public, but obviously, that wasn't my call to make.

I wonder if you wouldn't be better served by a "if lists/ is empty, call
update first" rather than a "call it all the time" – to at least trim
away some of problems this "magic update call" causes.

"true", "false", and (perhaps in the future) "binaries" (to update only binary repos and not source repos).

Unlikely as they tend to come in pairs (or the deb-src as an addendum to
the deb if you prefer to look at it this way), but are secured by the
same Release file, so you can't just "half"-update from the repository
as apt wouldn't know anymore which files are current or not. Beside,
are Components, Icons, Translations, Contents, … and all the other
potential targets part of your 'binaries' set or not?

(There are bugs with the existing ways of entering such a "half" update
state in the form of --no-list-cleanup already that will be hard enough
to solve without adding more pain)


Best regards

David Kalnischkies

-----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE-----

iQIzBAABCgAdFiEE5sn+Q4uCja/tn0GrMRvlz3HQeIMFAmdurboACgkQMRvlz3HQ eINtBA//b7L7OIVx1OtDSpHLvm5NkVllQXt21fnQN85rcBfEHIcrlaF8BInQbU8x ZWzEovCz2R/njpqur7uGVDUKe81ZzMxTacfYqLkY6cJAJ7G5tXGqSHgxwjOcmlV5 IqDY44XttsFGk91W3MaCDGxPHt1fbNvXVu7OKHOKWk2WqsmxyJ7+eiApVrHcu4wd /BA1RE2YkGLSkcuy0hok523T5bliy3Ci0gmQnyTYEmEsgHthAdKMn/FNF5omyb2f r3SUzfWfsLaEw425gmA+nIizpciOhGmdfFYw0CoNlkCvyDsLr6mT0VxAtJ0LC+kL si+IDpwqYPwo0wMXk9girp3/4SAwEEqAWAJL7k8sGm/VAbOedBsHM0+6HtnXlLZ8 z55GlX86hjy+ZuLU3LSLKZnMAWBnvQcPMU1b6FGr0Re/6gxbzcI4WUwGuJ9x8zAo wSR9GJzEB7GxefgxL5/8MeXAgF8kmkvyLEbNVlyqT/I5X89UgAygDSG8MF0eHP5p 3YjAToNjH2xPgyExXtJbOak2jV2puCJZjWJde9lsD2B8oKlCvnz+m3VWn4OCOF/a V5oPpH0yG1Vg3xQpQpsJ4VxUnRAhGmUF/jiBNiFAuPoX1F9xrHIliyU+FWX9KnRg WVtPw6vGRfpwhJTEk1me+80TuoDAQPevwoW/+MXEt79CW8ar37k=
=2G0Y
-----END PGP SIGNATURE-----

--- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05
* Origin: fsxNet Usenet Gateway (21:1/5)