Translation(s): none
How to create a dummy package
You can read ?how to create a dummy package with equivs
and also how to create a ?package with some files with equivs
Hacking dependencies
Some window managers (like GNOME) comes with a lot of packages. But what do you do when you don't want a special package installed, but your system depends it?
Please note that this is a crude hack and if thoughtlessly used, it might possibly do damage to your packaging system. And please note as well that using it is not the recommended way of dealing with broken dependencies. Better file a bug report instead.
Anyway, if you still want to keep reading, the answer is to make a dummmy package. This text will give a small example on how to create a dummy package for gnome-games. The idea is to give the dummy a version number so high that the real package will never reach it.
For this job you need equivs. If you haven't installed this package before, you should do so now.
Open up your favourite editor, name it something like anti-gnome-games.equivs and write the following lines:
Package: gnome-games Version: 99:99 Maintainer: Your Name <mail@domain.com> Architecture: all Description: dummy gnome-games package A dummy package with a version number so high that the real gnome packages will never reach it.
And then in your console:
equivs-build anti-gnome-games.equivs
You will then have a gnome-games_99_all.deb which you can install with dpkg -i.
The 99:99 version means epoch 99, version 99 – if you don't need an intentionally-absurd version number, you should avoid the epoch and have a version like 1.
Documentations
equivs-build(1) - make a Debian package to register local software
equivs-control(1) - create a configuration file for equivs-build
See Also
tasksel - a user interface for installing tasks