You need to categorise by distro version

Description of feature.

In Arch, there's only one version, the last one, because it's a rolling release. So the AUR has one version of a package, the last one.

But when you move to debian/ubuntu, this brakes down. You can't have just one version. At some point you get into dependency hell. Or you brake compatibility with one version in order to keep compatibility with an other.

The packages should be separated between distro versions. At some point, the version of a package for a distro version must freeze, simply because the newer dependencies are not available. Currently, the system basically forces you to upgrade and just drop the previous distro version.

[hwittenborn]

Are you saying there should be version freezes on the MPR, or are you talking about something else?

a distro version comes with certain versions of libraries. When a package upgrades beyond them it brakes for that distro version. At some point, you have to stop upgrading the package to stay compatible with a certain distro version. Arch doesn't has that problem because it's a rolling release, it has only one version.

I'm saying distro versions should be categorized separately. you have packages for sid, debian 12, debian 11 etc etc etc... You should be able to tell, that this PKGBUILD is meant for debian 12.

You should be able to search all the debian 12 packages. The helpers should install only debian 12 packages. You could try and force a package from a different distro version and see if you are lucky.

In distros, they don't mix together all source packages, they have one per distro version. The mpr tries to mix everything together in one big mess.

You make a PKGBUILD on debian 12, you only tested it there, you can only guarantee it just works only there.

When you try to install a package on an other distro, it's not guaranteed to work.

You understand what i'm saying. Like repos, they are distro version specific.