Yast reports wrong versions

[recraig2]

When in Yast Software Management (OpenSuSE 11.1, KDE 4.2.4), the versions of software installed are often incorrect. For example,

Package...........Installed...(Available)
kde4-dolphin...4.2.4-1.11.(4.1.3-3.8.9)...<--- in RED

Yet, in the Versions tab:

4.2.4-1.11-x86_64 (installed)
4.1.3-3.8.9-x86_64 from repo-update
4.2.4-1.11-x86_64 from KDE:42
4.1.3-60.11-x86_64 from Education
4.1.3-3.5-x86_64 from repo-oss

Hmm, so Yast cannot calculate which is the most recent version?

This is likewise the case on many apps throughout, not just KDE apps and not just regarding these repos.

Please don't lecture me about having too many repos. That is not the issue. Yast is able to report the versions in the version tab, but it cannot determine which number is greater than the other?

YET...

Package...........................Installed (Available)
kde4-keditbookmarks...(4.1.3-3.8.9).................<---In BLACK

obviously not installed, but the Version tab reports:

4.1.3-3.8.9-x86_64 from repo-update
4.2.4-1.11-x86_64 from KDE:42
4.1.3-60.11-x86_64 from Education

Why does it show 4.1.3 available, but not 4.2.4?
Priorites are all on 99, except openSUSE-11.1-update at 20.

[caf4926]

Delete kde4-dolphin

Sounds like you have both kde4-dolphin and dolphin
There have been name changes, see these 2 posts:
KDE4 Name Changes - Making the transition - HowTo - openSUSE Forums

KDE4.2.* (How To Add) Guide. - openSUSE Forums

[recraig2]

Man, this is such a mess! Isn't there any way for SuSE to get a hold on the repo problems? I know there have been some attempts, but then issues like this mess it up.

Anyway, why should the number of repos matter? If Education (for example) has a package and KDE42 has another why can't Yast tell the difference between which is the more appropriate? Isn't that what we rely on it for?

There are some important functions missing from Yast that would naturally have been added. For example, why can't you filter to see just those that are blue or those that are red. When you choose to update a file, then there are dependency problems and you cancel it is still marked for update! This is a serious oversight. On top of these is the version discrimination between repos.

Ok, I admit Yast is a solid package manager. Still, there are these and other seemingly small features that could push it to the next level and prevent many problems for the user.

[recraig2]

Originally Posted by caf4926

Delete kde4-dolphin

Sounds like you have both kde4-dolphin and dolphin
There have been name changes, see these 2 posts:
KDE4 Name Changes - Making the transition - HowTo - openSUSE Forums

KDE4.2.* (How To Add) Guide. - openSUSE Forums

I have a problem with this. Plasma addons and plasma quick access do not exist apart from kde4-plasma naming scheme. I am trying to go through my list of installed kde4-* named apps and replace them, but it is not straight forward at all. There were many other renaming schemes and splitting of packages, etc... How can anyone manage this mess?

[caf4926]

None of the problems you are experiencing would exist if you held to default repo's
oss
non-oss
updates

(packman)

You have opted to go in to kde4 packages which did not ship with 11.1
It is easily managed with experience, but until you have that experience it would be better to stick to what was shipped in kde or use kde3 or gnome.

Most of the other community repo's should be ok for installing odd applications you absolutely need.

[caf4926]

The community kde42 should supply all you need in extras.
FYI set update repo to 99 priority with all the others
oss and non-oss to 120


In Software management - Filter by repo
select 42 desktop and do Update all in this list Unconditionally and the same for the community 42

[recraig2]

Originally Posted by caf4926

None of the problems you are experiencing would exist if you held to default repo's
oss
non-oss
updates

(packman)

You have opted to go in to kde4 packages which did not ship with 11.1
It is easily managed with experience, but until you have that experience it would be better to stick to what was shipped in kde or use kde3 or gnome.

Most of the other community repo's should be ok for installing odd applications you absolutely need.

Yes, you are right, but that doesn't mean these problems should exist when upgrading to the stable version promoted on KDE's website.

This is not about KDE 4, really. As the thread says, the problem is that Yast cannot distinguish between two versions that I can distinguish visually.

[recraig2]

Originally Posted by caf4926

The community kde42 should supply all you need in extras.
FYI set update repo to 99 priority with all the others
oss and non-oss to 120


In Software management - Filter by repo
select 42 desktop and do Update all in this list Unconditionally and the same for the community 42

Thanks for the tips, but the first statement is going to make me laugh! You really think that this should provide everything I need? Yet, you don't know what I need?

Kontact was not included in KDE 4.2.4 when I upgraded. Then when I added it, it required KDE 4.2.95! I have not added any KDE repos that were not recommended here. There were packaging problems. Now that one has been sorted out. There is Kontact for 4.2.4.

Listen, VLC is not provided there. Playing video from the net is not widely supported in SuSE. Many times I download a video and I have to try two or three apps to find one that works. Not a single one of them works on all versions of all codecs. Don't get me started on other apps and hardware issues that I need to add additional repos to find what I need and to keep it up to date. You cannot be serious telling someone you don't even know that they really only need what you yourself use.

The only reason some people end up complaining so much is because of these kinds of solutions. Is there really no way to solve the version problem aside from paring down repos to the bare minimum? So you are admitting that Yast cannot distinguish properly between versions? My gosh!

[recraig2]

I have found a bug report on this by another user. They have similar, though slightly different results. Manually selecting from Version tab is a real pain when you rely on the software to manage this sort of simplicity. I've added my notes above to the bug report. This is a problem that has existed since previous versions of SuSE. I hope it gets addressed. One of the promotions of SuSE 11.1 was that Yast had had serious overhauls and was greatly improved. That might have been true in certain areas, but not in this highly visible and immensely frustrating area. We'll see with the next version, though I don't have high hopes since Novell bought SuSE.

[ijbreakey]

Hi,

The only way Yast would provide something that you're describing is if you have the priorities of your repositories set in an incorrect way. If you tell YAST that you want the Updates repository to have priority over the KDE repositories then it's going to tell you to install the (4.1.3) packages from the update repository since they have higher priority, even though YOU know that the 4.2.4 packages from the KDE 4.2 repository are newer.

Caf's information was correct, to

set update repo to 99 priority with all the others
oss and non-oss to 120


In Software management - Filter by repo
select 42 desktop and do Update all in this list Unconditionally and the same for the community 42

When you set the Update repository to 99, it will have the same priority as the KDE repository. Thus, instead of trying to take the kde 4.1.3 packages from the update repository, Yast will recognize the 4.2.4 packages from the KDE 4.2 repository as higher and recognize them as up-to-date.

Yast will only do what you tell it to do

Take Care,

Ian