man: Document version when new features were introduced

This should make it easier for people to know when it is safe to use
a feature, or if those features are available in older versions, for
example when backporting packages.

debian/changelog

@@ -120,6 +120,7 @@ dpkg (1.18.0) UNRELEASED; urgency=low
   * Place short options before long ones in dpkg-mergechangelogs(1) and
     dselect(1) man pages.
   * Properly terminate a bold marking in dpkg(1).
+  * Document in man pages the dpkg version when new features were introduced.
 
   [ Raphaël Hertzog ]
   * Drop myself from Uploaders.

man/deb-symbols.5

@@ -58,12 +58,14 @@ the only valid fields are:
 .B Build\-Depends\-Package
 It indicates the name of the "\-dev" package associated to the library
 and is used by \fBdpkg\-shlibdeps\fP to make sure that the dependency
-generated is at least as strict as the corresponding build dependency.
+generated is at least as strict as the corresponding build dependency
+(since dpkg 1.14.13).
 .TP
 .B Ignore\-Blacklist\-Groups
 It indicates what blacklist groups should be ignored, as a whitespace
 separated list, so that the symbols contained in those groups get
-included in the output file. This should only be necessary for toolchain
+included in the output file (since dpkg 1.17.6).
+This should only be necessary for toolchain
 packages providing those blacklisted symbols. The available groups are
 system dependent, for ELF and GNU-based systems these are \fBaeabi\fP
 and \fBgomp\fP.

man/dpkg-architecture.1

@@ -102,12 +102,13 @@ Set the host Debian architecture.
 Set the host GNU system type.
 .TP
 .BR \-A ", " \-\-target\-arch " \fIarchitecture\fP"
-Set the target Debian architecture. This is only needed when building a
+Set the target Debian architecture (since dpkg 1.17.14).
+This is only needed when building a
 cross-toolchain, one that will be built on the build architecture, to be
 run on the host architecture, and to build code for the target architecture.
 .TP
 .BR \-T ", " \-\-target\-type " \fIgnu-system-type\fP"
-Set the target GNU system type.
+Set the target GNU system type (since dpkg 1.17.14).
 .TP
 .BR \-W ", " \-\-match\-wildcard " \fIarchitecture-wildcard\fP"
 Restrict the architectures listed by \fB\-\-list\-known\fP to ones matching

man/dpkg-buildflags.1

@@ -76,8 +76,8 @@ information about them.
 .BI \-\-status
 Display any information that can be useful to explain the behaviour of
 \fBdpkg\-buildflags\fP: relevant environment variables, current vendor,
-state of all feature flags. Also print the resulting compiler flags with
-their origin.
+state of all feature flags (since dpkg 1.16.5).
+Also print the resulting compiler flags with their origin.
 
 This is intended to be run from \fBdebian/rules\fP, so that the build log
 keeps a clear trace of the build flags used. This can be useful to diagnose
@@ -134,7 +134,8 @@ the flag is set/modified by an environment-specific configuration.
 .RE
 .TP
 .BI \-\-query\-features " area"
-Print the features enabled for a given area. The only currently recognized
+Print the features enabled for a given area (since dpkg 1.16.2).
+The only currently recognized
 areas on Debian and derivatives are \fBqa\fP, \fBreproducible\fP,
 \fBsanitize\fP and \fBhardening\fP, see the \fBFEATURE AREAS\fP
 section for more details.

man/dpkg-buildpackage.1

@@ -82,11 +82,13 @@ It runs the \fBdone\fP hook.
 .SH OPTIONS
 .TP
 .B \-g
-Specifies a build limited to source and architecture independent packages.
+Specifies a build limited to source and architecture independent packages
+(since dpkg 1.17.11).
 Passed to \fBdpkg\-genchanges\fP.
 .TP
 .B \-G
-Specifies a build limited to source and architecture specific packages.
+Specifies a build limited to source and architecture specific packages
+(since dpkg 1.17.11).
 Passed to \fBdpkg\-genchanges\fP.
 .TP
 .B \-b
@@ -106,7 +108,8 @@ Specifies a source-only build, no binary packages need to be made.
 Passed to \fBdpkg\-genchanges\fP.
 .TP
 .B \-F
-Specifies a normal full build, binary and source packages will be built.
+Specifies a normal full build, binary and source packages will be built
+(since dpkg 1.15.8).
 This is the same as the default case when no build option is specified.
 .TP
 .BI \-\-target= target
@@ -115,14 +118,14 @@ This is the same as the default case when no build option is specified.
 .TQ
 .BI \-T target
 Calls \fBdebian/rules\fP \fItarget\fP after having setup the build
-environment and stops the package build process here. If
-\fB\-\-as\-root\fP is also given, then the command is executed
+environment and stops the package build process here (since dpkg 1.15.0).
+If \fB\-\-as\-root\fP is also given, then the command is executed
 as root (see \fB\-r\fP). Note that official targets that are required to
 be run as root by the Debian policy do not need this option.
 .TP
 .B \-\-as\-root
-Only meaningful together with \fB\-\-target\fP. Requires that the target be
-run with root rights.
+Only meaningful together with \fB\-\-target\fP (since dpkg 1.15.0).
+Requires that the target be run with root rights.
 .TP
 .B \-si
 .TQ
@@ -140,26 +143,32 @@ run with root rights.
 Passed unchanged to \fBdpkg\-genchanges\fP. See its manual page.
 .TP
 .BR \-a ", " \-\-host\-arch " \fIarchitecture\fP"
-Specify the Debian architecture we build for. The architecture of the
+Specify the Debian architecture we build for (long option since dpkg 1.17.17).
+The architecture of the
 machine we build on is determined automatically, and is also the default
 for the host machine.
 .TP
 .BR \-t ", " \-\-host\-type " \fIgnu-system-type\fP"
-Specify the GNU system type we build for. It can be used in place
+Specify the GNU system type we build for (long option since dpkg 1.17.17).
+It can be used in place
 of \-\-host\-arch or as a complement to override the default GNU system type
 of the host Debian architecture.
 .TP
 .BR \-\-target\-arch " \fIarchitecture\fP"
-Specify the Debian architecture the binaries built will build for.
+Specify the Debian architecture the binaries built will build for
+(since dpkg1.17.17).
 The default value is the host machine.
 .TP
 .BR \-\-target\-type " \fIgnu-system-type\fP"
-Specify the GNU system type the binaries built will build for. It can be
+Specify the GNU system type the binaries built will build for
+(since dpkg 1.17.17).
+It can be
 used in place of \-\-target\-arch or as a complement to override the
 default GNU system type of the target Debian architecture.
 .TP
 .BR \-P \fIprofile\fP[ , ...]
-Specify the profile(s) we build, as a comma-separated list. The default
+Specify the profile(s) we build, as a comma-separated list (since dpkg 1.17.2).
+The default
 behavior is to build for no specific profile. Also sets them (as a space
 separated list) as the \fBDEB_BUILD_PROFILES\fP environment variable which
 allows, for example, \fBdebian/rules\fP files to use this information for
@@ -167,10 +176,12 @@ conditional builds.
 .TP
 .BR \-j [\fIjobs\fP|\fBauto\fP]
 Number of jobs allowed to be run simultaneously, number of jobs matching
-the number of online processors if \fBauto\fP is specified, or unlimited
-number if \fIjobs\fP is not specified, equivalent to the
+the number of online processors if \fBauto\fP is specified
+(since dpkg 1.17.10), or unlimited number if \fIjobs\fP is not specified,
+equivalent to the
 .BR make (1)
-option of the same name. Will add itself to the \fBMAKEFLAGS\fP
+option of the same name (since dpkg 1.14.7).
+Will add itself to the \fBMAKEFLAGS\fP
 environment variable, which should cause all subsequent make
 invocations to inherit the option. Also adds \fBparallel=\fP\fIjobs\fP or
 \fBparallel=\fP to the \fBDEB_BUILD_OPTIONS\fP environment variable which
@@ -228,7 +239,8 @@ instead of passing arguments individually to the command to be run.
 .BI \-R rules-file
 Building a Debian package usually involves invoking
 .B debian/rules
-as a command with several standard parameters. With this option it's
+as a command with several standard parameters (since dpkg 1.14.17).
+With this option it's
 possible to use another program invocation to build the package (it can
 include space separated parameters).
 Alternatively it can be used to execute the standard rules file with
@@ -238,17 +250,19 @@ as \fIrules-file\fR).
 .TP
 .BI \-\-check\-command= check-command
 Command used to check the \fB.changes\fP file itself and any artifact built
-referenced in the file. The command should take the \fB.changes\fP pathname
+referenced in the file (since dpkg 1.17.6).
+The command should take the \fB.changes\fP pathname
 as an argument. This command will usually be \fBlintian\fP.
 .TP
 .BI \-\-check\-option= opt
 Pass option \fIopt\fP to the \fIcheck-command\fP specified with
-\fBDEB_CHECK_COMMAND\fP or \fB\-\-check\-command\fP.
+\fBDEB_CHECK_COMMAND\fP or \fB\-\-check\-command\fP (since dpkg 1.17.6).
 Can be used multiple times.
 .TP
 .BI \-\-hook\- hook-name = hook-command
 Set the specified shell code \fIhook-command\fP as the hook \fIhook-name\fP,
-which will run at the times specified in the run steps. The hooks will
+which will run at the times specified in the run steps (since dpkg 1.17.6).
+The hooks will
 always be executed even if the following action is not performed (except
 for the \fBbinary\fP hook).
 
@@ -315,18 +329,18 @@ regardless of \fB\-us\fP or \fB\-uc\fP or other internal heuristics.
 Passed unchanged to \fBdpkg\-source\fP. See its manual page.
 .TP
 .BI \-\-source\-option= opt
-Pass option \fIopt\fP to \fBdpkg\-source\fP.
+Pass option \fIopt\fP to \fBdpkg\-source\fP (since dpkg 1.15.6).
 Can be used multiple times.
 .TP
 .BI \-\-changes\-option= opt
-Pass option \fIopt\fP to \fBdpkg\-genchanges\fP.
+Pass option \fIopt\fP to \fBdpkg\-genchanges\fP (since dpkg 1.15.6).
 Can be used multiple times.
 .TP
 .BI \-\-admindir= dir
 .TQ
 .BI "\-\-admindir " dir
-Change the location of the \fBdpkg\fR database. The default location is
-\fI/var/lib/dpkg\fP.
+Change the location of the \fBdpkg\fR database (since dpkg 1.14.0).
+The default location is \fI/var/lib/dpkg\fP.
 .TP
 .BR \-? ", " \-\-help
 Show the usage message and exit.
@@ -337,11 +351,13 @@ Show the version and exit.
 .SH ENVIRONMENT
 .TP
 .B DEB_CHECK_COMMAND
-If set, it will be used as the command to check the \fB.changes\fP file.
+If set, it will be used as the command to check the \fB.changes\fP file
+(since dpkg 1.17.6).
 Overridden by the \fB\-\-check\-command\fP option.
 .TP
 .B DEB_SIGN_KEYID
-If set, it will be used to sign the \fB.changes\fP and \fB.dsc\fP files.
+If set, it will be used to sign the \fB.changes\fP and \fB.dsc\fP files
+(since dpkg 1.17.2).
 Overridden by the \fB\-k\fP option.
 .TP
 .B DEB_BUILD_OPTIONS
@@ -350,8 +366,9 @@ will be ignored.
 .TP
 .B DEB_BUILD_PROFILES
 If set, it will be used as the active build profile(s) for the package
-being built. It is a space separated list of profile names. Overridden
-by the \fB\-P\fP option.
+being built.
+It is a space separated list of profile names (since dpkg 1.17.2).
+Overridden by the \fB\-P\fP option.
 
 .SS Reliance on exported environment flags
 Even if \fBdpkg\-buildpackage\fP exports some variables, \fBdebian/rules\fP

man/dpkg-checkbuilddeps.1

@@ -37,12 +37,13 @@ may be specified on the command line.
 .SH OPTIONS
 .TP
 .BI \-\-admindir= dir
-Change the location of the \fBdpkg\fR database. The default location is
-\fI/var/lib/dpkg\fP.
+Change the location of the \fBdpkg\fR database (since dpkg 1.14.0).
+The default location is \fI/var/lib/dpkg\fP.
 .TP
 .B \-A
 Ignore \fBBuild\-Depends\-Arch\fP and \fBBuild\-Conflicts\-Arch\fP
-lines. Use when only arch-indep packages will be built, or combine with
+lines (since dpkg 1.16.4).
+Use when only arch-indep packages will be built, or combine with
 \fB\-B\fP when only a source package is to be built.
 .TP
 .B \-B
@@ -54,17 +55,18 @@ lines. Use when only arch-dep packages will be built, or combine with
 .TP
 .BI "\-c " build-conflicts-string
 Use the given build dependencies/conflicts instead of those contained in the
-\fIdebian/control\fP file.
+\fIdebian/control\fP file (since dpkg 1.14.17).
 .TP
 .BI "\-a " arch
 Check build dependencies/conflicts assuming that the package described in
 the control file is to be built for the given host architecture instead of
-the architecture of the current system.
+the architecture of the current system (since dpkg 1.16.2).
 .TP
 .BR "\-P " \fIprofile\fP[ , ...]
 Check build dependencies/conflicts assuming that the package described
-in the control file is to be built for the given build profile(s). The
-argument is a comma-separated list of profile names.
+in the control file is to be built for the given build profile(s)
+(since dpkg 1.17.2).
+The argument is a comma-separated list of profile names.
 .TP
 .BR \-? ", " \-\-help
 Show the usage message and exit.

man/dpkg-deb.1

@@ -245,13 +245,15 @@ dpkg 1.16.4), \fIfiltered\fP, \fIhuffman\fP, \fIrle\fP and \fIfixed\fP for
 gzip (since dpkg 1.17.0) and \fIextreme\fP for xz.
 .TP
 .BI \-Z compress-type
-Specify which compression type to use when building a package. Allowed
-values are \fIgzip\fP, \fIxz\fP, \fIbzip2\fP (deprecated), \fIlzma\fP
-(deprecated), and \fInone\fP (default is \fIxz\fP).
+Specify which compression type to use when building a package.
+Allowed values are \fIgzip\fP, \fIxz\fP (since dpkg 1.15.6),
+\fIbzip2\fP (deprecated), \fIlzma\fP (since dpkg 1.14.0; deprecated),
+and \fInone\fP (default is \fIxz\fP).
 .TP
 .B \-\-uniform\-compression
 Specify that the same compression parameters should be used for all archive
-members (i.e. \fBcontrol.tar\fP and \fBdata.tar\fP). Otherwise only the
+members (i.e. \fBcontrol.tar\fP and \fBdata.tar\fP; since dpkg 1.17.6).
+Otherwise only the
 \fBdata.tar\fP member will use those parameters. The only supported
 compression types allowed to be uniformly used are \fInone\fP, \fIgzip\fP
 and \fIxz\fP.
@@ -279,8 +281,9 @@ usual checks on the proposed contents of an archive. You can build
 any archive you want, no matter how broken, this way.
 .TP
 .BR \-v ", " \-\-verbose
-Enables verbose output. This currently only affects \fB\-\-extract\fP making
-it behave like \fB\-\-vextract\fP.
+Enables verbose output (since dpkg 1.16.1).
+This currently only affects \fB\-\-extract\fP making it behave like
+\fB\-\-vextract\fP.
 .TP
 .BR \-D ", " \-\-debug
 Enables debugging output. This is not very interesting.

man/dpkg-divert.1

@@ -53,7 +53,8 @@ Remove a diversion for \fIfile\fP.
 List diversions matching \fIglob-pattern\fP.
 .TP
 .BI \-\-listpackage " file"
-Print the name of the package that diverts \fIfile\fP.  Prints LOCAL if
+Print the name of the package that diverts \fIfile\fP (since dpkg 1.15.0).
+Prints LOCAL if
 \fIfile\fP is locally diverted and nothing if \fIfile\fP is not diverted.
 .TP
 .BI \-\-truename " file"

man/dpkg-genchanges.1

@@ -38,24 +38,27 @@ file
 .TP
 .B \-g
 Specifies that only source and architecture independent packages should
-be uploaded (no architecture specific packages will be included).
+be uploaded, thus no architecture specific packages will be included
+(since dpkg 1.17.11).
 .TP
 .B \-G
 Specifies that only source and architecture specific packages should
-be uploaded (no architecture independent packages will be included).
+be uploaded, thus no architecture independent packages will be included
+(since dpkg 1.17.11).
 .TP
 .BR \-b ", " \-B ", " \-A
-Specifies that a binary-only build is taking place (no source files are
-to be included). There's no distinction between \fB\-b\fP, \fB\-B\fP and
-\fB\-A\fP, the produced
+Specifies that a binary-only build is taking place, thus no source
+files are to be included.
+There's no distinction between \fB\-b\fP, \fB\-B\fP and \fB\-A\fP,
+the produced
 .B .changes
 file will include whatever files were created by the
 .B binary\-*
 target(s) of the package being built.
 .TP
 .B \-S
-Specifies that only the source should be uploaded (no binary packages
-will be included).
+Specifies that only the source should be uploaded, thus no binary
+packages will be included.
 .PP
 The \fB\-s\fP\fIx\fP options control whether the original source archive is
 included in the upload if any source is being generated (i.e.
@@ -110,7 +113,7 @@ the default is
 No variable substitution is done on any of the fields that are output,
 however the special variable \fIFormat\fR will override the field of the
 same name. This option can be used multiple times to read substitution
-variables from multiple files.
+variables from multiple files (since dpkg 1.15.6).
 
 .TP
 .BI \-D field = value

man/dpkg-gencontrol.1

@@ -69,7 +69,7 @@ Read substitution variables in
 the default is
 .BR debian/substvars .
 This option can be used multiple times to read substitution variables from
-multiple files.
+multiple files (since dpkg 1.15.6).
 .TP
 .BI \-D field = value
 Override or add an output control file field.
@@ -130,8 +130,8 @@ substitution variable and control file field (using
 and for the default location of the output file.
 .TP
 .BR \-O [\fIfilename\fP]
-Print the control file to standard output (or \fIfilename\fP if specified),
-rather than to
+Print the control file to standard output (or \fIfilename\fP if specified,
+since dpkg 1.17.2), rather than to
 .B debian/tmp/DEBIAN/control
 (or
 .IB package-build-dir /DEBIAN/control

man/dpkg-query.1

@@ -108,15 +108,17 @@ However, note that files created by package-specific installation-scripts
 are not listed.
 .TP
 .BR \-\-control\-list " \fIpackage-name\fP
-List control files installed to your system from \fIpackage-name\fP.
+List control files installed to your system from \fIpackage-name\fP
+(since dpkg 1.16.5).
 These can be used as input arguments to \fB\-\-control\-show\fP.
 .TP
 .BR \-\-control\-show " \fIpackage-name\fP \fIcontrol-file\fP"
 Print the \fIcontrol-file\fP installed to your system from \fIpackage-name\fP
-to the standard output.
+to the standard output (since dpkg 1.16.5).
 .TP
 .BR \-c ", " \-\-control\-path " \fIpackage-name\fP [\fIcontrol-file\fP]"
-List paths for control files installed to your system from \fIpackage-name\fP.
+List paths for control files installed to your system from \fIpackage-name\fP
+(since dpkg 1.15.4).
 If \fIcontrol-file\fP is specified then only list the path for that control
 file if it is present.
 
@@ -169,7 +171,8 @@ Change the location of the \fBdpkg\fR database. The default location is
 .TP
 .B \-\-load\-avail
 Also load the available file when using the \fB\-\-show\fP and \fB\-\-list\fP
-commands, which now default to only querying the status file.
+commands, which now default to only querying the status file
+(since dpkg 1.16.2).
 .TP
 .BR \-f ", " \-\-showformat=\fIformat\fR
 This option is used to specify the format of the output \fB\-\-show\fP

man/dpkg-scanpackages.1

@@ -64,7 +64,8 @@ this string.
 .PP
 .I override-file
 is the name of a file to read which contains information about how the
-package fits into the distribution (it can be a compressed file); see
+package fits into the distribution (the file can compressed
+since dpkg 1.15.5); see
 .BR deb\-override (5).
 .PP
 .I path-prefix
@@ -81,7 +82,8 @@ Scan for *.\fItype\fP packages, instead of *.deb.
 .TP
 .BR \-e ", " \-\-extra\-override " \fIfile\fP"
 Scan \fIfile\fP to find supplementary overrides (the file can be
-compressed). See
+compressed since dpkg 1.15.5).
+See
 .BR deb\-extra\-override (5)
 for more information on its format.
 .TP
@@ -90,7 +92,8 @@ Use a pattern consisting of \fI*_all.deb\fP and \fI*_arch.deb\fP instead of
 scanning for all debs.
 .TP
 .BR \-h ", " \-\-hash " \fIhash-list\fP"
-Only generate file hashes for the comma-specified list specified.
+Only generate file hashes for the comma-specified list specified
+(since dpkg 1.17.14).
 The default is to generate all currently supported hashes.
 Supported values: \fBmd5\fP, \fBsha1\fP, \fBsha256\fP.
 .TP
@@ -98,9 +101,10 @@ Supported values: \fBmd5\fP, \fBsha1\fP, \fBsha256\fP.
 Include all found packages in the output.
 .TP
 .BR \-M ", " \-\-medium " \fIid-string\fP"
-Add an X\-Medium field containing the value \fIid-string\fP. This field
-is required if you want to generate \fBPackages.cd\fP files for use
-by the multicd access method of dselect.
+Add an X\-Medium field containing the value \fIid-string\fP
+(since dpkg 1.15.5).
+This field is required if you want to generate \fBPackages.cd\fP files
+for use by the multicd access method of dselect.
 .TP
 .BR \-? ", " \-\-help
 Show the usage message and exit.

man/dpkg-scansources.1

@@ -36,7 +36,9 @@ stdout.
 .PP
 The \fIoverride-file\fR, if given, is used to set priorities in the resulting
 index records and to override the maintainer field given in the \fI.dsc\fR
-files. The file can be compressed. See
+files.
+The file can be compressed (since dpkg 1.15.5).
+See
 .BR deb\-override (5)
 for the format of this file. Note: Since
 the override file is indexed by binary, not source packages, there's a bit
@@ -66,12 +68,14 @@ Don't sort the index records. Normally they are sorted by source package
 name.
 .TP
 .IP "\fB\-e\fR, \fB\-\-extra\-override\fR \fIfile\fP" 4
-Scan \fIfile\fP to find supplementary overrides (the file can be
-compressed). See
+Scan \fIfile\fP to find supplementary overrides (since dpkg 1.15.4;
+the file can be compressed since dpkg 1.15.5).
+See
 .BR deb\-extra\-override (5)
 for more information on its format.
 .IP "\fB\-s\fR, \fB\-\-source\-override\fR \fIfile\fR" 4
-Use \fIfile\fR as the source override file (the file can be compressed).
+Use \fIfile\fR as the source override file (the file can be compressed
+since dpkg 1.15.5).
 The default is the name of the override file you specified with \fI.src\fR
 appended.
 .sp

man/dpkg-shlibdeps.1

@@ -185,7 +185,8 @@ are removed from the the substitution variables file.
 .TP
 .BR \-O [\fIfilename\fP]
 Print substitution variable settings to standard output (or \fIfilename\fP
-if specified), rather than being added to the substitution variables file
+if specified, since dpkg 1.17.2), rather than being added to the
+substitution variables file
 .RB ( debian/substvars
 by default).
 .TP
@@ -209,33 +210,38 @@ the default is
 .BR debian/substvars .
 .TP
 .BI \-v
-Enable verbose mode. Numerous messages are displayed to explain what
+Enable verbose mode (since dpkg 1.14.8).
+Numerous messages are displayed to explain what
 .B dpkg\-shlibdeps
 does.
 .TP
 .BI \-x package
-Exclude the package from the generated dependencies. This is useful to
+Exclude the package from the generated dependencies (since dpkg 1.14.8).
+This is useful to
 avoid self-dependencies for packages which provide ELF binaries
 (executables or library plugins) using a library contained in the same
 package. This option can be used multiple times to exclude several
 packages.
 .TP
 .BI \-S package-build-dir
-Look into \fIpackage-build-dir\fP first when trying to find a library. This is
+Look into \fIpackage-build-dir\fP first when trying to find a library
+(since dpkg 1.14.15).
+This is
 useful when the source package builds multiple flavors of the same library
 and you want to ensure that you get the dependency from a given binary
 package. You can use this option multiple times: directories will be
 tried in the same order before directories of other binary packages.
 .TP
 .BI \-\-ignore\-missing\-info
-Do not fail if dependency information can't be found for a shared library.
+Do not fail if dependency information can't be found for a shared library
+(since dpkg 1.14.8).
 Usage of this option is discouraged, all libraries should provide
 dependency information (either with shlibs files, or with symbols files)
 even if they are not yet used by other packages.
 .TP
 .BI \-\-warnings= value
 \fIvalue\fP is a bit field defining the set of warnings that
-can be emitted by \fBdpkg\-shlibdeps\fP.
+can be emitted by \fBdpkg\-shlibdeps\fP (since dpkg 1.14.17).
 Bit 0 (value=1) enables the warning "symbol \fIsym\fP used by \fIbinary\fP
 found in none of the libraries", bit 1 (value=2) enables the warning
 "package could avoid a useless dependency" and bit 2 (value=4)
@@ -245,8 +251,8 @@ default, the last one is not. Set \fIvalue\fP to 7 if you want all
 warnings to be active.
 .TP
 .BI \-\-admindir= dir
-Change the location of the \fBdpkg\fR database. The default location is
-\fI/var/lib/dpkg\fP.
+Change the location of the \fBdpkg\fR database (since dpkg 1.14.0).
+The default location is \fI/var/lib/dpkg\fP.
 .TP
 .BR \-? ", " \-\-help
 Show the usage message and exit.

man/dpkg-source.1

@@ -39,8 +39,7 @@ separate argument.
 .SH COMMANDS
 .TP
 .BR \-x ", " \-\-extract " \fIfilename\fP.dsc [\fIoutput-directory\fP]"
-Extract a source package.
-The \fB\-\-extract\fP alias was added in dpkg 1.17.14.
+Extract a source package (\fB\-\-extract\fP since dpkg 1.17.14).
 One non-option argument must be supplied,
 the name of the Debian source control file
 .RB ( .dsc ).
@@ -71,8 +70,7 @@ package use the same format by default.
 
 .TP
 .BR \-b ", " \-\-build " \fIdirectory\fP [\fIformat-specific-parameters\fP]"
-Build a source package.
-The \fB\-\-build\fP alias was added in dpkg 1.17.14.
+Build a source package (\fB\-\-build\fP since dpkg 1.17.14).
 The first non-option argument is taken as the
 name of the directory containing the debianized source tree (i.e. with a
 debian sub-directory and maybe changes to the original files).
@@ -92,11 +90,12 @@ for an extensive description of the various source package formats.
 .RI "\fB\-\-print\-format\fP " directory
 Print the source format that would be used to build the source package if
 \fBdpkg\-source \-\-build \fIdirectory\fR was called (in the same conditions
-and with the same parameters).
+and with the same parameters; since dpkg 1.15.5).
 
 .TP
 .RI "\fB\-\-before\-build\fP " directory
-Run the corresponding hook of the source package format. This hook is
+Run the corresponding hook of the source package format (since dpkg 1.15.8).
+This hook is
 called before any build of the package (\fBdpkg\-buildpackage\fP calls it
 very early even before \fBdebian/rules clean\fP). This command is
 idempotent and can be called multiple times. Not all source formats
@@ -106,7 +105,8 @@ are applied.
 
 .TP
 .RI "\fB\-\-after\-build\fP " directory
-Run the corresponding hook of the source package format. This hook is
+Run the corresponding hook of the source package format (since dpkg 1.15.8).
+This hook is
 called after any build of the package (\fBdpkg\-buildpackage\fP calls it
 last). This command is idempotent and can be called multiple times. Not
 all source formats implement something in this hook, and those that do
@@ -114,8 +114,9 @@ usually use it to undo what \fB\-\-before\-build\fP has done.
 
 .TP
 .RI "\fB\-\-commit\fP [" directory "] ..."
-Record changes in the source tree unpacked in \fIdirectory\fP. This
-command can take supplementary parameters depending on the source format.
+Record changes in the source tree unpacked in \fIdirectory\fP
+(since dpkg 1.16.1).
+This command can take supplementary parameters depending on the source format.
 It will error out for formats where this operation doesn't mean anything.
 
 .TP
@@ -147,8 +148,8 @@ Specifies the format of the changelog. See \fBdpkg\-parsechangelog\fP(1)
 for information about alternative formats.
 .TP
 .BI \-\-format= value
-Use the given format for building the source package. It does
-override any format given in \fBdebian/source/format\fP.
+Use the given format for building the source package (since dpkg 1.14.17).
+It does override any format given in \fBdebian/source/format\fP.
 .TP
 .BI \-V name = value
 Set an output substitution variable.
@@ -158,7 +159,7 @@ See \fBdeb\-substvars\fP(5) for a discussion of output substitution.
 Read substitution variables in
 .IR substvars-file ;
 the default is to not read any file. This option can be used multiple
-times to read substitution variables from multiple files.
+times to read substitution variables from multiple files (since dpkg 1.15.6).
 .TP
 .BI \-D field = value
 Override or add an output control file field.
@@ -167,7 +168,8 @@ Override or add an output control file field.
 Remove an output control file field.
 .TP
 .BR \-Z "\fIcompression\fP, " \-\-compression =\fIcompression\fP
-Specify the compression to use for created files (tarballs and diffs).
+Specify the compression to use for created tarballs and diff files
+(\fB\-\-compression\fP since dpkg 1.15.5).
 Note that this option will not cause existing tarballs to be recompressed,
 it only affects new files. Supported values are:
 .IR gzip ", " bzip2 ", " lzma " and " xz .
@@ -175,14 +177,17 @@ The default is \fIxz\fP for formats 2.0 and newer, and \fIgzip\fP for
 format 1.0. \fIxz\fP is only supported since dpkg 1.15.5.
 .TP
 .BR \-z "\fIlevel\fP, " \-\-compression\-level =\fIlevel\fP
-Compression level to use. As with \fB\-Z\fP it only affects newly created
+Compression level to use (\fB\-\-compression\-level\fP since dpkg 1.15.5).
+As with \fB\-Z\fP it only affects newly created
 files. Supported values are:
 .IR 1 " to " 9 ", " best ", and " fast .
 The default is \fI9\fP for gzip and bzip2, \fI6\fP for xz and lzma.
 .TP
 .BR \-i "[\fIregex\fP], " \-\-diff\-ignore [=\fIregex\fP]
 You may specify a perl regular expression to match files you want
-filtered out of the list of files for the diff. (This list is
+filtered out of the list of files for the diff (\fB\-\-diff\-ignore\fP
+since dpkg 1.15.6).
+(This list is
 generated by a find command.) (If the source package is being built as a
 version 3 source package using a VCS, this can be used to ignore
 uncommited changes on specific files. Using \-i.* will ignore all of them.)
@@ -205,9 +210,9 @@ begin of a filename or only full filenames, you will need to provide
 the necessary anchors (e.g. '(^|/)', '($|/)') yourself.
 .TP
 .BR \-\-extend\-diff\-ignore =\fIregex\fP
-The perl regular expression specified will extend the default value
-used by \fB\-\-diff\-ignore\fP and its current value (if set). It does
-this by concatenating "\fB|\fP\fIregex\fP" to the existing value.
+The perl regular expression specified will extend the default value used by
+\fB\-\-diff\-ignore\fP and its current value, if set (since dpkg 1.15.6).
+It does this by concatenating "\fB|\fP\fIregex\fP" to the existing value.
 This option is convenient to use in \fBdebian/source/options\fP to exclude
 some auto-generated files from the automatic patch generation.
 .TP
@@ -215,7 +220,9 @@ some auto-generated files from the automatic patch generation.
 If this option is specified, the pattern will be passed to
 .BR tar (1)'s
 .B \-\-exclude
-option when it is called to generate a .orig.tar or .tar file. For
+option when it is called to generate a .orig.tar or .tar file
+(\fB\-\-tar\-ignore\fP since dpkg 1.15.6).
+For
 example, \fB\-I\fPCVS will make tar skip over CVS directories when generating
 a .tar.gz file. The option may be repeated multiple times to list multiple
 patterns to exclude.
@@ -242,21 +249,23 @@ in the output of the \fB\-\-help\fP command.
 .SS Generic extract options
 .TP
 .BI \-\-no\-copy
-Do not copy original tarballs near the extracted source package.
+Do not copy original tarballs near the extracted source package
+(since dpkg 1.14.17).
 .TP
 .BI \-\-no\-check
-Do not check signatures and checksums before unpacking.
+Do not check signatures and checksums before unpacking (since dpkg 1.14.17).
 .TP
 .BI \-\-require\-valid\-signature
 Refuse to unpack the source package if it doesn't contain an OpenPGP
-signature that can be verified either with the user's
+signature that can be verified (since dpkg 1.15.0) either with the user's
 \fItrustedkeys.gpg\fP keyring, one of the vendor-specific keyrings, or one
 of the official Debian keyrings
 (\fI/usr/share/keyrings/debian\-keyring.gpg\fP
 and \fI/usr/share/keyrings/debian\-maintainers.gpg\fP).
 .TP
 .B \-\-ignore\-bad\-version
-Turns the bad source package version check into a non-fatal warning.
+Turns the bad source package version check into a non-fatal warning
+(since dpkg 1.17.7).
 This option should only be necessary when extracting ancient source
 packages with broken versions, just for backwards compatibility.
 
@@ -380,7 +389,8 @@ is the default.
 .TP
 .B \-\-abort\-on\-upstream\-changes
 The process fails if the generated diff contains changes to files
-outside of the debian sub-directory. This option is not allowed in
+outside of the debian sub-directory (since dpkg 1.15.8).
+This option is not allowed in
 \fBdebian/source/options\fP but can be used in
 \fBdebian/source/local\-options\fP.
 .PP
@@ -409,9 +419,11 @@ options are mutually exclusive. If you specify more than one only the
 last one will be used.
 .TP
 .B \-\-skip\-debianization
-Skips application of the debian diff on top of the upstream sources.
+Skips application of the debian diff on top of the upstream sources
+(since dpkg 1.15.1).
 .
 .SS Format: 2.0
+Extraction supported since dpkg 1.13.9, building supported since dpkg 1.14.8.
 Also known as wig&pen. This format is not recommended for wide-spread
 usage, the format "3.0 (quilt)" replaces it. Wig&pen was the first
 specification of a new-generation source package format.
@@ -425,6 +437,7 @@ When building a new source package, any change to the upstream source
 is stored in a patch named \fBzz_debian\-diff\-auto\fP.
 .
 .SS Format: 3.0 (native)
+Supported since dpkg 1.14.17.
 This format is an extension of the native package format as defined
 in the 1.0 format. It supports all compression methods and
 will ignore by default any VCS specific files and directories
@@ -432,6 +445,7 @@ as well as many temporary files (see default value associated to
 \fB\-I\fP option in the \fB\-\-help\fP output).
 .
 .SS Format: 3.0 (quilt)
+Supported since dpkg 1.14.17.
 A source package in this format contains at least
 an original tarball (\fB.orig.tar.\fP\fIext\fP where \fIext\fP can be
 \fBgz\fP, \fBbz2\fP, \fBlzma\fP and \fBxz\fP) and a debian tarball
@@ -541,7 +555,8 @@ they end up in the debian tarball (exactly like \fBdpkg-source
 .BI \-\-allow\-version\-of\-quilt\-db= version
 Allow \fBdpkg\-source\fP to build the source package if the version of
 the \fBquilt\fP metadata is the one specified, even if \fBdpkg\-source\fP
-doesn't know about it. Effectively this says that the given version of the
+doesn't know about it (since dpkg 1.15.5.4).
+Effectively this says that the given version of the
 \fBquilt\fP metadata is compatible with the version 2 that \fBdpkg\-source\fP
 currently supports. The version of the \fBquilt\fP metadata is stored in
 \fB.pc/.version\fP.
@@ -560,12 +575,13 @@ in subsequent builds and this option is thus no more needed.
 .TP
 .B \-\-no\-preparation
 Do not try to prepare the build tree by applying patches which are
-apparently unapplied.
+apparently unapplied (since dpkg 1.14.18).
 .TP
 .B \-\-single\-debian\-patch
 Use \fBdebian/patches/debian\-changes\fP instead of
 \fBdebian/patches/debian\-changes\-\fP\fIversion\fP for the name of the
-automatic patch generated during build. This option is particularly
+automatic patch generated during build (since dpkg 1.15.5.4).
+This option is particularly
 useful when the package is maintained in a VCS and a patch set can't reliably
 be generated. Instead the current diff with upstream should be stored in a
 single patch. The option would be put in \fBdebian/source/local\-options\fP
@@ -575,20 +591,25 @@ VCS that is used.
 .TP
 .B \-\-create\-empty\-orig
 Automatically create the main original tarball as empty if it's missing
-and if there are supplementary original tarballs. This option is meant to
+and if there are supplementary original tarballs (since dpkg 1.15.6).
+This option is meant to
 be used when the source package is just a bundle of multiple upstream
 software and where there's no "main" software.
 .TP
 .B \-\-no\-unapply\-patches, \-\-unapply\-patches
 By default, \fBdpkg\-source\fP will automatically unapply the patches in the
 \fB\-\-after\-build\fP hook if it did apply them during
-\fB\-\-before\-build\fP. Those options allow you to forcefully disable
+\fB\-\-before\-build\fP (\fB\-\-unapply\-patches\fP since dpkg 1.15.8,
+\fB\-\-no\-unapply\-patches\fP since dpkg 1.16.5).
+Those options allow you to forcefully disable
 or enable the patch unapplication process. Those options are only allowed
 in \fBdebian/source/local\-options\fP so that all generated source
 packages have the same behavior by default.
 .TP
 .B \-\-abort\-on\-upstream\-changes
-The process fails if an automatic patch has been generated. This option
+The process fails if an automatic patch has been generated
+(since dpkg 1.15.8).
+This option
 can be used to ensure that all changes were properly recorded in separate
 \fBquilt\fP patches prior to the source package build. This option is not
 allowed in \fBdebian/source/options\fP but can be used in
@@ -602,13 +623,16 @@ it's immediately recorded in the \fBquilt\fP series.
 .B Extract options
 .TP
 .B \-\-skip\-debianization
-Skips extraction of the debian tarball on top of the upstream sources.
+Skips extraction of the debian tarball on top of the upstream sources
+(since dpkg 1.15.1).
 .TP
 .B \-\-skip\-patches
-Do not apply patches at the end of the extraction.
+Do not apply patches at the end of the extraction (since dpkg 1.14.18).
 .
 .SS Format: 3.0 (custom)
-This format is special. It doesn't represent a real source package
+Supported since dpkg 1.14.17.
+This format is special.
+It doesn't represent a real source package
 format but can be used to create source packages with arbitrary files.
 .PP
 .B Build options
@@ -623,6 +647,7 @@ The generated .dsc file will contain this value in its \fBFormat\fP field
 and not "3.0 (custom)".
 .
 .SS Format: 3.0 (git)
+Supported since dpkg 1.14.17.
 This format is experimental.
 .PP
 A source package in this format consists of a
@@ -666,8 +691,9 @@ branches, except for the private branch, use \fB\-\-git\-ref=\fP\-\-all
 Creates a shallow clone with a history truncated to the specified number of
 revisions.
 .SS Format: 3.0 (bzr)
-This format is experimental. It generates a single tarball
-containing the bzr repository.
+Supported since dpkg 1.14.17.
+This format is experimental.
+It generates a single tarball containing the bzr repository.
 .PP
 .B Extracting
 .PP

man/dpkg-trigger.1

@@ -72,8 +72,8 @@ T may be considered installed even though I may not yet have processed
 the trigger.
 .TP
 .BR \-\-await
-This option does the inverse of \fB\-\-no\-await\fP. It is currently the
-default behavior.
+This option does the inverse of \fB\-\-no\-await\fP (since dpkg 1.17.21).
+It is currently the default behavior.
 .TP
 .BR \-\-no\-act
 Just test, do not actually change anything.

man/dpkg.1

@@ -169,7 +169,9 @@ something goes wrong.
 \fB2.\fP Run \fIpostinst\fP script, if provided by the package.
 .TP
 \fB\-\-triggers\-only\fP \fIpackage\fP...|\fB\-a\fP|\fB\-\-pending\fP
-Processes only triggers. All pending triggers will be processed. If package
+Processes only triggers (since dpkg 1.14.17).
+All pending triggers will be processed.
+If package
 names are supplied only those packages' triggers will be processed, exactly
 once each where necessary. Use of this option may leave packages in the
 improper \fBtriggers\-awaited\fP and \fBtriggers\-pending\fP states. This
@@ -225,7 +227,9 @@ for detailed information about how this is done.
 .BR \-V ", " \-\-verify " [\fIpackage-name\fP...]
 Verifies the integrity of \fIpackage-name\fP or all packages if omitted,
 by comparing information from the files installed by a package with the
-files metadata information stored in the \fBdpkg\fP database. The origin
+files metadata information stored in the \fBdpkg\fP database
+(since dpkg 1.17.2).
+The origin
 of the files metadata information in the database is the binary packages
 themselves. That metadata gets collected at package unpack time during
 the installation process.
@@ -264,14 +268,14 @@ must refer to a directory instead.
 .TP
 .B \-\-forget\-old\-unavail
 Now \fBobsolete\fP and a no-op as \fBdpkg\fP will automatically forget
-uninstalled unavailable packages.
+uninstalled unavailable packages (since dpkg 1.15.4).
 .TP
 .B \-\-clear\-avail
 Erase the existing information about what packages are available.
 .TP
 .BR \-C ", " \-\-audit " [\fIpackage-name\fP...]
 Performs database sanity and consistency checks for \fIpackage-name\fP
-or all packages if omitted.
+or all packages if omitted (per package checks since dpkg 1.17.10).
 For example, searches for packages that have been installed only partially
 on your system or that have missing, wrong or obsolete control data or
 files. \fBdpkg\fP will suggest what to do with them to get them fixed.
@@ -293,7 +297,8 @@ the \fB\-\-update\-avail\fP and \fB\-\-merge\-avail\fP commands for more
 information.
 .TP
 .B \-\-clear\-selections
-Set the requested state of every non-essential package to deinstall.
+Set the requested state of every non-essential package to deinstall
+(since dpkg 1.13.18).
 This is intended to be used immediately before \fB\-\-set\-selections\fP,
 to deinstall any packages not in list given to \fB\-\-set\-selections\fP.
 .TP
@@ -303,13 +308,15 @@ reason still haven't been installed.
 .TP
 .B \-\-add\-architecture \fIarchitecture\fP
 Add \fIarchitecture\fP to the list of architectures for which packages can
-be installed without using \fB\-\-force\-architecture\fP. The architecture
+be installed without using \fB\-\-force\-architecture\fP (since dpkg 1.16.2).
+The architecture
 \fBdpkg\fP is built for (i.e. the output of \fB\-\-print\-architecture\fP)
 is always part of that list.
 .TP
 .B \-\-remove\-architecture \fIarchitecture\fP
 Remove \fIarchitecture\fP from the list of architectures for which packages
-can be installed without using \fB\-\-force\-architecture\fP. If the
+can be installed without using \fB\-\-force\-architecture\fP
+(since dpkg 1.16.2). If the
 architecture is currently in use in the database then the operation will
 be refused, except if \fB\-\-force\-architecture\fP is specified. The
 architecture \fBdpkg\fP is built for (i.e. the output of
@@ -320,7 +327,7 @@ Print architecture of packages \fBdpkg\fP installs (for example, "i386").
 .TP
 .B \-\-print\-foreign\-architectures
 Print a newline-separated list of the extra architectures \fBdpkg\fP is
-configured to allow packages to be installed for.
+configured to allow packages to be installed for (since dpkg 1.16.2).
 .TP
 .B \-\-compare\-versions \fIver1 op ver2\fP
 Compare version numbers, where \fIop\fP is a binary operator. \fBdpkg\fP
@@ -483,7 +490,7 @@ Turn all dependency problems into warnings.
 Don't care about versions when checking dependencies.
 
 \fBbreaks\fP:
-Install, even if this would break another package.
+Install, even if this would break another package (since dpkg 1.14.6).
 
 \fBconflicts\fP:
 Install, even if it conflicts with another package. This is dangerous,
@@ -516,7 +523,8 @@ that to decide the final action.
 \fBconfask\fP:
 If a conffile has been modified always offer to replace it with the
 version in the package, even if the version in the package did not
-change. If any of \fB\-\-force\-confmiss\fP, \fB\-\-force\-confnew\fP,
+change (since dpkg 1.15.8).
+If any of \fB\-\-force\-confmiss\fP, \fB\-\-force\-confnew\fP,
 \fB\-\-force\-confold\fP, or \fB\-\-force\-confdef\fP is also given,
 it will be used to decide the final action.
 
@@ -530,7 +538,8 @@ Overwrite one package's directory with another's file.
 Overwrite a diverted file with an undiverted version.
 
 \fBunsafe\-io\fP:
-Do not perform safe I/O operations when unpacking. Currently this
+Do not perform safe I/O operations when unpacking (since dpkg 1.15.8.6).
+Currently this
 implies not performing file system syncs before file renames, which is
 known to cause substantial performance degradation on some file systems,
 unfortunately the ones that require the safe I/O on the first place due
@@ -550,7 +559,7 @@ losing data, use with care.\fP
 Process even packages with wrong or no architecture.
 
 \fBbad\-version\fP:
-Process even packages with wrong versions.
+Process even packages with wrong versions (since dpkg 1.16.1).
 
 \fBbad\-path\fP:
 \fBPATH\fP is missing important programs, so problems are likely.
@@ -618,7 +627,7 @@ installed.
 Set an invoke hook \fIcommand\fP to be run via \*(lqsh \-c\*(rq before or
 after the \fBdpkg\fP run for the \fIunpack\fP, \fIconfigure\fP, \fIinstall\fP,
 \fItriggers\-only\fP, \fIremove\fP, \fIpurge\fP, \fIadd\-architecture\fP and
-\fIremove\-architecture\fP \fBdpkg\fP actions. This
+\fIremove\-architecture\fP \fBdpkg\fP actions (since dpkg 1.15.4). This
 option can be specified multiple times. The order the options are specified
 is preserved, with the ones from the configuration files taking precedence.
 The environment variable \fBDPKG_HOOK_ACTION\fP is set for the hooks to the
@@ -629,7 +638,8 @@ times per invocation, which might run the hooks more times than expected.
 .TQ
 .BI \-\-path\-include= glob-pattern
 Set \fIglob-pattern\fP as a path filter, either by excluding or re-including
-previously excluded paths matching the specified patterns during install.
+previously excluded paths matching the specified patterns during install
+(since dpkg 1.15.8).
 
 \fIWarning: take into account that depending on the excluded paths you
 might completely break your system, use with caution.\fP
@@ -659,7 +669,7 @@ each other. Both are processed in the given order, with the last rule that
 matches a file name making the decision.
 .TP
 .BI \-\-verify\-format " format-name"
-Sets the output format for the \fB\-\-verify\fP command.
+Sets the output format for the \fB\-\-verify\fP command (since dpkg 1.17.2).
 
 The only currently supported output format is \fBrpm\fP, which consists
 of a line for every path that failed any check. The lines start with 9
@@ -696,8 +706,9 @@ Sent just before a processing stage starts. \fIstage\fR is one of
 .TP
 \fB\-\-status\-logger\fR=\fIcommand\fR
 Send machine-readable package status and progress information to the
-shell \fIcommand\fR's standard input. This option can be specified
-multiple times. The output format used is the same as in \fB\-\-status\-fd\fP.
+shell \fIcommand\fR's standard input (since dpkg 1.16.0).
+This option can be specified multiple times.
+The output format used is the same as in \fB\-\-status\-fd\fP.
 .RE
 .TP
 \fB\-\-log=\fP\fIfilename\fP
@@ -721,7 +732,8 @@ changes where \fIdecision\fP is either \fBinstall\fP or \fBkeep\fP.
 Do not try to verify package signatures.
 .TP
 \fB\-\-no\-triggers\fP
-Do not run any triggers in this run (activations will still be recorded).
+Do not run any triggers in this run (since dpkg 1.14.17), but activations
+will still be recorded.
 If used with \fB\-\-configure\fP \fIpackage\fP or
 \fB\-\-triggers\-only\fP \fIpackage\fP then the named package postinst
 will still be run even if only a triggers run is needed. Use of this option
@@ -730,7 +742,7 @@ may leave packages in the improper \fBtriggers\-awaited\fP and
 \fBdpkg \-\-configure \-\-pending\fP.
 .TP
 \fB\-\-triggers\fP
-Cancels a previous \fB\-\-no\-triggers\fP.
+Cancels a previous \fB\-\-no\-triggers\fP (since dpkg 1.14.17).
 .
 .SH ENVIRONMENT
 .TP
@@ -754,41 +766,45 @@ text. Currently only used by \-l.
 .TP
 .B DPKG_SHELL_REASON
 Defined by \fBdpkg\fP on the shell spawned on the conffile prompt to
-examine the situation. Current valid value: \fBconffile\-prompt\fP.
+examine the situation (since dpkg 1.15.6).
+Current valid value: \fBconffile\-prompt\fP.
 .TP
 .B DPKG_CONFFILE_OLD
 Defined by \fBdpkg\fP on the shell spawned on the conffile prompt to
-examine the situation. Contains the path to the old conffile.
+examine the situation (since dpkg 1.15.6).
+Contains the path to the old conffile.
 .TP
 .B DPKG_CONFFILE_NEW
 Defined by \fBdpkg\fP on the shell spawned on the conffile prompt to
-examine the situation. Contains the path to the new conffile.
+examine the situation (since dpkg 1.15.6).
+Contains the path to the new conffile.
 .TP
 .B DPKG_RUNNING_VERSION
 Defined by \fBdpkg\fP on the maintainer script environment to the
-version of the currently running \fBdpkg\fP instance.
+version of the currently running \fBdpkg\fP instance (since dpkg 1.14.17).
 .TP
 .B DPKG_MAINTSCRIPT_PACKAGE
 Defined by \fBdpkg\fP on the maintainer script environment to the
-(non-arch-qualified) package name being handled.
+(non-arch-qualified) package name being handled (since dpkg 1.14.17).
 .TP
 .B DPKG_MAINTSCRIPT_PACKAGE_REFCOUNT
 Defined by \fBdpkg\fP on the maintainer script environment to the
 package reference count, i.e. the number of package instances with
-a state greater than \fBnot\-installed\fP. Since dpkg 1.17.2.
+a state greater than \fBnot\-installed\fP (since dpkg 1.17.2).
 .TP
 .B DPKG_MAINTSCRIPT_ARCH
 Defined by \fBdpkg\fP on the maintainer script environment to the
-architecture the package got built for.
+architecture the package got built for (since dpkg 1.15.4).
 .TP
 .B DPKG_MAINTSCRIPT_NAME
 Defined by \fBdpkg\fP on the maintainer script environment to the
-name of the script running (preinst, postinst, prerm, postrm).
+name of the script running, one of \fBpreinst\fP, \fBpostinst\fP,
+\fBprerm\fP or \fBpostrm\fP (since dpkg 1.15.7).
 .
 .SH FILES
 .TP
 .I /etc/dpkg/dpkg.cfg.d/[0-9a-zA-Z_-]*
-Configuration fragment files.
+Configuration fragment files (since dpkg 1.15.4).
 .TP
 .I /etc/dpkg/dpkg.cfg
 Configuration file with default options.

man/start-stop-daemon.8

@@ -94,7 +94,7 @@ will check that the process(es) have terminated.
 .TP
 .BR \-T ", " \-\-status
 Check for the existence of a specified process, and returns an exit status
-code, according to the LSB Init Script Actions.
+code, according to the LSB Init Script Actions (since version 1.16.1).
 .TP
 .BR \-H ", " \-\-help
 Show usage information and exit.
@@ -106,11 +106,12 @@ Show the program version and exit.
 .SS Matching options
 .TP
 .BR \-\-pid " \fIpid\fP"
-Check for a process with the specified \fIpid\fP. The \fIpid\fP must be a
-number greater than 0.
+Check for a process with the specified \fIpid\fP (since version 1.17.6).
+The \fIpid\fP must be a number greater than 0.
 .TP
 .BR \-\-ppid " \fIppid\fP"
-Check for a process with the specified \fIppid\fP (parent pid).
+Check for a process with the specified parent pid \fIppid\fP
+(since version 1.17.7).
 The \fIppid\fP must be a number greater than 0.
 .TP
 .BR \-p ", " \-\-pidfile " \fIpid-file\fP"
@@ -257,7 +258,8 @@ make no sense forking on their own, or where it's not feasible to add the
 code for them to do this themselves.
 .TP
 .BR \-C ", " \-\-no\-close
-Do not close any file descriptor when forcing the daemon into the background.
+Do not close any file descriptor when forcing the daemon into the background
+(since version 1.16.5).
 Used for debugging purposes to see the process output, or to redirect file
 descriptors to log the process output.
 Only relevant when using \fB\-\-background\fP.
@@ -267,19 +269,21 @@ This alters the priority of the process before starting it.
 .TP
 .BR \-P ", " \-\-procsched " \fIpolicy\fP\fB:\fP\fIpriority\fP"
 This alters the process scheduler policy and priority of the process before
-starting it. The priority can be optionally specified by appending a \fB:\fP
+starting it (since version 1.15.0).
+The priority can be optionally specified by appending a \fB:\fP
 followed by the value. The default \fIpriority\fP is 0. The currently
 supported policy values are \fBother\fP, \fBfifo\fP and \fBrr\fP.
 .TP
 .BR \-I ", " \-\-iosched " \fIclass\fP\fB:\fP\fIpriority\fP"
 This alters the IO scheduler class and priority of the process before starting
-it. The priority can be optionally specified by appending a \fB:\fP followed
+it (since version 1.15.0).
+The priority can be optionally specified by appending a \fB:\fP followed
 by the value. The default \fIpriority\fP is 4, unless \fIclass\fP is \fBidle\fP,
 then \fIpriority\fP will always be 7. The currently supported values for
 \fIclass\fP are \fBidle\fP, \fBbest-effort\fP and \fBreal-time\fP.
 .TP
 .BR \-k ", " \-\-umask " \fImask\fP"
-This sets the umask of the process before starting it.
+This sets the umask of the process before starting it (since version 1.13.22).
 .TP
 .BR \-m ", " \-\-make\-pidfile
 Used when starting a program that does not create its own pid file. This
@@ -298,8 +302,9 @@ only useful when combined with the
 option.
 .TP
 .B \-\-remove\-pidfile
-Used when stopping a program that does not remove its own pid file. This
-option will make
+Used when stopping a program that does not remove its own pid file
+(since version 1.17.19).
+This option will make
 .B start\-stop\-daemon
 remove the file referenced with
 .B \-\-pidfile

man/update-alternatives.1

@@ -308,7 +308,8 @@ and the highest priority alternative currently installed.
 .TP
 \fB\-\-get\-selections\fR
 List all master alternative names (those controlling a link group)
-and their status. Each line contains up to 3 fields (separated by
+and their status (since version 1.15.0).
+Each line contains up to 3 fields (separated by
 one or more spaces). The first field is the alternative name, the second
 one is the status (either "auto" or "manual"), and the last one contains
 the current choice in the alternative (beware: it's a filename and thus
@@ -317,12 +318,12 @@ might contain spaces).
 \fB\-\-set\-selections\fR
 Read configuration of alternatives on standard input in the format
 generated by \fBupdate\-alternatives \-\-get\-selections\fR and reconfigure
-them accordingly.
+them accordingly (since version 1.15.0).
 .TP
 \fB\-\-query\fR \fIname\fR
 Display information about the link group
 like \-\-display does, but in a machine parseable way
-(see section \fBQUERY FORMAT\fR below).
+(since version 1.15.0, see section \fBQUERY FORMAT\fR below).
 .TP
 \fB\-\-list\fR \fIname\fR
 Display all targets of the link group.
@@ -348,8 +349,8 @@ Specifies the administrative directory, when this is to be
 different from the default.
 .TP
 .BI \-\-log " file"
-Specifies the log file, when this is to be different from the default
-(/var/log/alternatives.log).
+Specifies the log file (since version 1.15.0), when this is to be different
+from the default (/var/log/alternatives.log).
 .TP
 .BI \-\-force
 Let \fBupdate\-alternatives\fR replace or drop any real file that is installed