[Bug 1910913] [NEW] Deprecating gdebi

[Konstantin]

Public bug reported:

Purpose of gdebi is to allow installing packages from a file. However,
it's been 6 years since apt supported installation from a file¹. Let's
make it easier on both maintainers and the people who have to
install/use `gdebi` and then may need to search nuances, like passing
options to dpkg.

As far as I read gdebi man page, its functional seems fully covered by
apt. The only thing I'm a bit in doubts about is the `root` option. But
from my reading of docs, it seems that `gdebi --root=/foo myfile.deb`
would be analogous to `apt install -o Dpkg::Options::="--root=/foo"
./myfile.deb`.

So, my suggesttion: installing gdebi on currently supported releases
should print a deprecation notice that explains how a user can install
local files with `apt` instead. Then eventually remove gdebi from
repositories.

I tried contacting maintainers of gdebi to ask whether it's worth adding
a deprecation notice, but haven't found any ways to do that, and so I
went straight to creating a report here.

1: https://mvogt.wordpress.com/2015/11/30/apt-1-1-released/

** Affects: gdebi (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

** Description changed:

  Purpose of gdebi is to allow installing packages from a file. However,
  it's been 6 years since apt supported installation from a file¹. Let's
  make it easier on both maintainers and the people who have to
  install/use `gdebi` and then may need to search nuances, like passing
  options to dpkg.
  
  As far as I read gdebi man page, its functional seems fully covered by
  apt. The only thing I'm a bit in doubts about is the `root` option. But
  from my reading of docs, it seems that `gdebi --root=/foo myfile.deb`
  would be analogous to `apt install -o Dpkg::Options::="--root=/foo"
- myfile.deb`.
+ ./myfile.deb`.
  
  So, my suggesttion: installing gdebi on currently supported releases
  should print a deprecation notice that explains how a user can install
  local files with `apt` instead. Then eventually remove gdebi from
  repositories.
  
  I tried contacting maintainers of gdebi to ask whether it's worth adding
  a deprecation notice, but haven't found any ways to do that, and so I
  went straight to creating a report here.
  
  1: https://mvogt.wordpress.com/2015/11/30/apt-1-1-released/

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1910913

Title:
  Deprecating gdebi

Status in gdebi package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  Purpose of gdebi is to allow installing packages from a file. However,
  it's been 6 years since apt supported installation from a file¹. Let's
  make it easier on both maintainers and the people who have to
  install/use `gdebi` and then may need to search nuances, like passing
  options to dpkg.

  As far as I read gdebi man page, its functional seems fully covered by
  apt. The only thing I'm a bit in doubts about is the `root` option.
  But from my reading of docs, it seems that `gdebi --root=/foo
  myfile.deb` would be analogous to `apt install -o Dpkg::Options::="--
  root=/foo" ./myfile.deb`.

  So, my suggesttion: installing gdebi on currently supported releases
  should print a deprecation notice that explains how a user can install
  local files with `apt` instead. Then eventually remove gdebi from
  repositories.

  I tried contacting maintainers of gdebi to ask whether it's worth
  adding a deprecation notice, but haven't found any ways to do that,
  and so I went straight to creating a report here.

  1: https://mvogt.wordpress.com/2015/11/30/apt-1-1-released/

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