[PLUG] How to resolve RH upgrade conflict?

[Rich Shepard]

  A couple of days ago I received notice from Red Hat that python and
tkinter have been patched to fix potential vulnerabilities. So I just
downloaded all the applicable packages and tried to upgrade what I have
installed. Unfortunately, I'm once again caught in the infinite loop of
self-referential, circular dependency quagmire and I don't know how to get
out of it. Here's the problem:

[root at salmo /home/rshepard]# rpm -Uvh python*
error: failed dependencies:
        tkinter < 1.5.2-43.73 conflicts with python-1.5.2-43.73
        python = 1.5.2-38 is needed by tkinter-1.5.2-38
        python2 = 2.2 is needed by tkinter2-2.2-16
[root at salmo /home/rshepard]# rpm -Uvh tkinter*
error: failed dependencies:
        python = 1.5.2-43.73 is needed by tkinter-1.5.2-43.73
        python2 = 2.2.2 is needed by tkinter2-2.2.2-11.7.3

  So, I cannot upgrade python because it requires tkinter to be upgraded
first. However, I cannot upgrade tkinter first because python's dependent on
it. Sigh.

  It seems to me that the only way to "upgrade" is to remove both python and
tkinter, then install the new versions.

  Without any intention of generating another long, virulent thread on
distributions, I'd like to ask if the idea of packages is to avoid just the
circular dependencies that keep me from easily maintaining my systems.

Oh, well,

Rich

Dr. Richard B. Shepard, President

                       Applied Ecosystem Services, Inc. (TM)
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