[Rpm-metadata] question about PreReq deprication...

[Mark Hatle]

Jeff Johnson wrote:
> Not any more. PreReq: just set a flag as a hint to the original (and 
> broken!) topological
> sort.
> 
> All releases of rpm since rpm-4.0 have a correct topological sort that 
> continues to
> provide the original guarantee of PreReq:
>     A PreReq:'d dependency is guarantedd to be installed before the 
> package that contains
>     The PreReq:.
> 
> Since all Requires: are now guaranteed to be installed before each and 
> every package
> that contains (except in the face of dependency loops where topological 
> sort is impoossible,
> can't happen by definition or ordering), PreReq: is just a hysterical 
> artifact, is completely
> synonymous with Requires:.

During an initial software install, many times circular dependency loops 
  can happen.. Does the use of PreReq help deal with this, or not?

I am more then willing to not use the PreReq, but my understanding was 
that it was there to handle the situation when a dependency loop occurs 
during a large group of packages.

--Mark