Evolution Of Debian Package Dependencies Resemble Predator-Prey Relationships

An anonymous reader writes "Scientists have performed an ecological analysis of software packages in the Debian GNU/Linux distribution over time; they found that dependencies can be successfully modeled as a predator-prey relationship."

Deep research indeed!

[m4c north]

FTFA:

The team went back to 1993 and compiled statistics on every major stable release

In other words, "The team compiled statistics on the last three major releases".

Mandatory XKCD

[Urban Garlic]

... is here [xkcd.com].

Title is wrong.

[sconeu]

People in Kansas know that the Debian Package Dependencies were Intelligently Designed!!!

This has many potential applications

[hyades1]

I sometimes suspect that my former marriage could have been successfully modeled as a predator/prey relationship.

Re:Deep research indeed!

[X0563511]

You must be a release or two behind. the package 'sense-of-humor' had a critical bug that was recently fixed.

Re:First post

[Jeremiah Cornelius]

Yes, I see their point, but I think this has been taken further by the Debian derivatives.

There are Badgers, Lynx, Narwhals and Ocelots, ferchrissake! I hardly think that, cruel as he is, "Sid" is any kind of predator. And "Hamm"? Surely you're joking!

Re:Pure nonsense

[pclminion]

If a package depends on another, one could be considered predator, and the other prey. If development slows on that which is depended on, then the predator must find new prey or face lower numbers and/or extinction.

Dammit, this other package my package depends on is just too fucking stable! It never changes! Every day it's just the same damn thing again! I need to base my package on something that's more of a moving target. Otherwise I run the risk of my own software becoming... (shudder) STABLE.

Re:Genesis 1:1

[qualityassurancedept]

Actually, I guess sudo probably wouldn't be installed right off the bat but yes he could just su to root. running the universe as root is dangerous so he would be better off creating an adminstrator/user profile like Jesus or something and then adding Jesus to the sudoers.