Ubuntu
libpcap package

Libpcap doesn't provide a non-dev transitional package

Asked by théo bertin

Hi,

on Ubuntu official repositories, the libpcap package is present as:
- the library **libpcap0.8**
- the library and headers **libpcap0.8-dev**
- the debugging symbols **libpcap0.8-dbg**

In addition, the repos provide a transitional package
- **libpcap-dev**, pointing to libpcap0.8-dev

My question is twofold:
- why is the library suffixed with "0.8" ? In my opinion, it's mainly a historical reason coming from non-stable (as in < v1.0) libpcap version 0.8, and was obsoleted by version 1.0
- why is there a transitional package for the development version but not for the library ?

My first question is more of a remark really, as I know it wouldn't be easy/fast (and might not be pertinent) to change how it's named, but my second question is more important : wouldn't it be possible, simple and useful to provide a transitional package for the library as well ? (in the simple "libpcap" form)

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Manfred Hampl (m-hampl) said : 		#1

This is a package that Ubuntu has copied form Debian without any modification.
If you want to ask why it is named like that, you better ask at a Debian forum.
And for the "transitional package": Transitional packages usually are introduced only when the name changed between different releases, and not just for a "shortcut in a simple form"

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