zypper-aptitude: Testing for the principal package manager on a Linux system

[colbec]

At least one github project (https://github.com/JuliaLang/BinDeps.jl) currently tests for the existence of an apt-get on a system with the command apt-get -v. If zypper-aptitude is installed on an openSUSE system as in Leap 42.1 the result is an unfortunate call to zypper GUI which must be cancelled for the process to continue.
One solution is simply to remove the zypper-aptitude package from the openSUSE system. Then apt-get does not exist and the script takes the necessary steps.
I wonder if the perl script which controls the action of the system on receiving a call to apt-get might more appropriately respond to "apt-get -v" by a simple action not involving a call to zypper? Or perhaps there is an alternate process that can be considered for testing the real role of apt-get on openSUSE?

ref: JuliaPackaging/BinDeps.jl#202

[mlandres]

@bmwiedemann: Bernhard please have a look at it.
(I'm also not sure if calling /sbin/yast2 -i is actually a good idea)

[bmwiedemann]

The intent was to map aptitude/apt-get commands to their zypper equivalents
and since aptitude becomes interactive when called without args, that was what I did for the wrapper.

I could map a apt-get -v to a call of zypper --version

> zypper --version
zypper 1.12.44

would that help?

otherwise, we could also just drop the yast -i part and return some help text instead.

[colbec]

Hmmm, it is a bit tricky, isn't it? Presumably there is a cohort of openSUSE users that benefit from the existence of apt-get on a zypper controlled system and we must keep them happy. On the other hand it can be difficult to test what package manager is present as the main actor.

Probably the suggestion of @bmwiedemann to have the openSUSE apt-get return the text version string of zypper would be good. Then the test in other programmes could be to parse the version string to see if it contains the string apt-get, at which point on openSUSE the test returns false which is what we want.