`pytest` conflict with logilab-common

[sebastinas]

While updating the Debian package for pytest I noticed that pytest now ships a pytest binary and it's supposed to be the new default entrypoint. However, logilab-common provides the same entrypoint since many versions. #1662 claims that this conflict has been resolved, but logilab-common still contains the entrypoint. Were there any discussions with the logilab developers about this issue?

[The-Compiler]

We - that is both pytest developers and me together with @PCManticore who's the pylint maintainer - tried to talk to logilab to drop their pytest entrypoint from logilab-common, but unfortunately, that never happened.

FWIW, I think nothing uses pytest in logilab-common except logilab internally. However, it was very common for people (who have pylint as well as pytest installed) to get confused because they're running pytest and get a non-working test runner, and we get to take the blame 😉

Since about a year, however, pylint and astroid don't depend on logilab-common anymore, which will probably make it possible for many distributions to drop logilab-common altogether. Looking at the reverse dependencies of logilab-common for python2/python3 on Debian:

• astroid: doesn't need logilab-common anymore
• pylint: doesn't need logilab-common anymore
• logilab-astng: Got replaced by astroid a long time ago and has no reverse dependencies on its own - I don't see it packaged for stretch/sid however
• python-logilab-constraint: Also not packaged in stretch/sid it seems, and nothing needs it?

[sebastinas]

Thank you for the information! Do you have any pointers to past discussion with logilab about this issue?

Looking at the current reverse dependencies of logilab-common (ignoring logilab-constraint) the following are left in Debian unstable:

$ dak rm -Rn logilab-common logilab-constraint
Will remove the following packages from unstable:

logilab-common |    1.2.2-1 | source
logilab-constraint |    0.5.0-2 | source
python-logilab-common |    1.2.2-1 | all
python-logilab-constraint |    0.5.0-2 | all
python3-logilab-common |    1.2.2-1 | all

...

Checking reverse dependencies...
# Broken Build-Depends:
pylint-celery: python-logilab-common
               python3-logilab-common
pylint-flask: python-logilab-common
              python3-logilab-common

Dependency problem found.

For pylint-flask I prepared jschaf/pylint-flask#4 and filed https://bugs.debian.org/835601. pylint-celery uses logilab.common.testlib, but it doesn't seem to use the pytest binary.

[The-Compiler]

There were various discussions, but here's the one I found:

• Original mail I didn't find, quoted in the one below
• Their answer that they still need it
• A "just joking" follow up claiming they were first
• Me telling them that's inaccurate

I also remember another discussion in their bugtracker which I can't find anymore, and I think the pylint maintainer also talked to them privately, but I'm not 100% sure anymore on that (it's been over a year since I talked to him about it).

[flub]

@sebastinas It sounds like your are able to resolve this in Debian? That would be great news for all involved. To be fair we where afraid of causing trouble for you but we where all a bit stuck between a rock and a hard place. If you can make this change in Debian that would be awesome. If so would you mind closing the issue here if there's nothing else to be done by us? Thanks

[sebastinas]

I will try to take this up with logilab-common upstream. I don't see anything to be done here, so I'm closing this issue. Thanks for all the links.

[The-Compiler]

Thank you! Can you please keep us updated if there's any news?

[sebastinas]

A patch renaming the binary from logilab-common is pending review. See https://www.logilab.org/patch/8425481 for details.

[dlax]

logilab-common version 1.3.0 just got released, it does not ship pytest binary anymore.

[RonnyPfannschmidt]

@dlax thanks for the update