Force apt-get to ignore dependencies?

[Benjamin Scott]

On Sun, Feb 13, 2011 at 10:15 AM, Joshua Judson Rosen
<rozzin at geekspace.com> wrote:
> I don't even understand how/why the word "conveniently" is supposed
> to apply, here--how do you, as an end user, even see any difference?

  The Debian package downloads and runs an executable installer.
d-m.org offered a proper packaging of the installed files.  Specific
advantages of doing it right include:

  (1) Updates work automatically, like every other managed package on
the system.

  (2) Versions appear in package management tools.

  (3) Files and their checksums are known to the package management tools.

> are you objecting
> to the Debian package containing an exectuable postinst script
> (which is normal for Debian packages)

  No.

  (Well, overall I think Debian over-uses post-install scripts, but
that's a minor complaint, and it's not what I'm objecting to here.)

> or do you think that the
> postinst script is downloading an executable installer and then
> running that (it's not)?

  Except that it is.  Read the package description.  Go check the
source, if you don't believe me.

http://packages.debian.org/squeeze/flashplugin-nonfree

-- Ben