Can't delete superseded packages from Launchpad PPA

[Mantas Kriaučiūnas]

There are no possibility to delete superseded source and binary packages indicator-sensors_0.1.orig.tar.gz from our Launchpad PPA (https://launchpad.net/~baltix-members) - this package is visible in our PPA, see:

https://launchpad.net/~baltix-members/+archive/ppa/+packages?field.name_filter=indicator-sensor&field.status_filter=&field.series_filter=natty

But indicator-sensors ver 0.1 isn't visible through delete function:

https://launchpad.net/~baltix-members/+archive/ppa/+delete-packages?field.name_filter=indicator-sensor&field.status_filter=&field.series_filter=natty

Because of this I can't copy new release of indicator-sensors from official indicator-sensors PPA:

https://launchpad.net/~alexmurray/+archive/indicator-sensors/+copy-packages?field.name_filter=&field.status_filter=published

I always get this error:

The following source cannot be copied:
    indicator-sensors 0.1-1 in oneiric (indicator-sensors_0.1.orig.tar.gz already exists in destination archive with different contents.)

[Curtis Hovey (sinzui)]

Lp is correct in this case. It is guarding against a man-in-the-middle security attack. If Lp permitted users published different packages with the same name, users cannot get security fixes, or worse, someone could tamper with the package.

You must change the version of the package you are uploaded so that archive subscribers will get the new, higher versioned, package.

[Mantas Kriaučiūnas (mantas)]

Curtis, you don't understand me - issue is: I can't delete superseded source and binary packages indicator-sensors_0.1.orig.tar.gz from our Launchpad PPA !
It's ok, that Lp doesn't permit users to publish different packages with the same name, this is not issue, but in this case LP doesn't allow to delete old, badly named and superseeded packages, which I've copied from another PPA into my PPA :(
Please don't close this bug, I've filled question #185264 , please ask there for more info if you still don't understand me.

Curtis Hovey (sinzui) wrote 10 hours ago:
> Lp is correct in this case. It is guarding against a man-in-the-middle security attack.
> If Lp permitted users published different packages with the same name, users
> cannot get security fixes, or worse, someone could tamper with the package.

[William Grant (wgrant)]

It's not possible to have two files with the same name and different contents in a PPA, even if one of them is no longer published. You need to rename the file.

[Mantas Kriaučiūnas (mantas)]

William, you are not right - I've tried to upload file with the same name and different content in my PPA several times, just need to delete previous file and wait several hours (sometimes few days) when this file will be really deleted from PPA, see

https://help.launchpad.net/Packaging/PPA/Deleting

"Note: Launchpad retains a copy of deleted files for up to seven days after you delete it from the archive. Follow the individual file links in the package's Built packages section. "

I don't want to rename the file, because I wanna use correct numbering, which is in original upstream PPA. Old file was incorrectly named as final 1.0 version, but in reality there was not final, but release candidate.

William Grant (wgrant) wrote 3 hours ago:
> It's not possible to have two files with the same name and different contents in a PPA, even if one of them is no longer published.

[William Grant (wgrant)]

There were some bugs years ago which erroneously let duplication slip through in some cases, but they are all now meant to be rejected. You must change the version.