[ydl-gen] stuff

[Derick Centeno]

> ... dependencies and at the very bottom something like this:
>
> Transaction Summary
> ===========================================
> Install      0 Package(s)
> Update       0 Package(s)
> Remove     484 Package(s)
>
> Is this ok [y/N]:
>
> If you read what those package were, it would be painfully obvious  
> that the
> sane answer here would be 'n'.
>

It is often true unfortunately that the most obvious things require  
the most careful review.  This situation is no different.  Continuing  
with the example you stated, yum does list all the packages to be  
removed before it gets to this point, however this also demonstrates  
my original difficulty with yum and challenge to how yum is used in  
this particular form.  Even if I (as a user) cared to cross-check and  
examine which package is which and what it does before I answer yes  
or no, I could not do so using yum as you invoked it because all that  
information scrolls off the terminal's screen (stdout) and is lost.   
Instead a better procedure or strategy is to split yum's output  
stream to an external file for later review so that accidental  
removal is could be potentially avoided by the user - if s/he takes  
the time to examine the generated file.  Also in any situation  
regarding using yum to remove anything, if one follows my suggestion  
I'd also recommend that the initial answer to yum's question be No  
thereby allowing the user to peruse the output file more carefully.   
After having done so, then the user being better informed can further  
pare down which packages are removed reducing the risk of damaging  
his/her system.

I'd really think this adjustment or recommendation should be posted  
somewhere on the official pages addressing yum because this solution  
is not an obvious one.  Here's the approach I'd recommend:

yum remove openssl > filename

In closing one more point, as good as yum is and has been, like other  
unix/linux tools - even if it was incorporated into a system wide  
intelligent guiding avatar at some point in the future (say YDL  
740.2?) human oversight of what and why it is engaging in any task  
will always be required.  It is always a strong regimen to recommend  
to users and in Linux every user is another system administrator in  
development whether s/he wishes it or no - it's the nature of what  
Linux is great power with flexibility.  By the way, my own experience  
with Unix goes back to the 70's - it's really our good fortune that  
Linux and YDL in particular allows for the usage of these tried and  
true simple strategies.  I'm a great believer in documenting the  
documents and can seek to overcompensate sometimes explaining too  
much but my concern especially in the example we are discussing is  
justified.

I hope my suggestion appears somewhere in the yum pages and not  
merely in my personal notes.

All the best...
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