bug#37940: endless "try upgrading both" cycles

[Ludovic Courtès]

Hi Arne & Mark,

Mark H Weaver <address@hidden> skribis:

> Arne Babenhauserheide <address@hidden> writes:
>> When installing a package while some packages are not up to date, guix
>> can require adding more and more packages to guix install:
> [...]
>> guix install: error: profile contains conflicting entries for util-linux
>> guix install: error:   first entry: util-linux@2.34 
>> /gnu/store/xymkwf57x988q8cny2is1dgzrbr9xdfi-util-linux-2.34
>> guix install: error:    ... propagated from glib@2.60.6
>> guix install: error:    ... propagated from poppler@0.79.0
>> guix install: error:   second entry: util-linux@2.32.1 
>> /gnu/store/8k4pnixpz73kxvxbjqajgbprjjmmgpxy-util-linux-2.32.1
>> hint: Try upgrading both `poppler' and `util-linux', or remove one of them 
>> from the profile.
>
> I just wanted to briefly mention that if you use the "declarative
> approach" to specifying user profiles, via the --manifest option to
> "guix package", you will avoid this problem entirely.  I've been happily
> using that approach for years, and I literally cannot remember the last
> time I saw a "conflicting entries" message.  I heartily recommend it.

Indeed.  Even if you don’t use the declarative approach, usually just
upgrade everything (“guix upgrade”) and you won’t have any problems
either.

Problems arise when you try to upgrade only part of the packages.

Now, it doesn’t sound right that ‘util-linux’ is propagated from glib
and from poppler…?

Ludo’.