New Guy asks: I want to run Squeeze, except for a few particular things...
I was using RedHat/Fedora for along time, then Ubuntu, now Debian.
I'm not new in Linux, just Debian. And I'm still having trouble
understanding some of the terminology.
I want to run the stable distribution--Squeeze--except I need newer
versions of some key programs I use in my work, like LyX and R. And
since the kernel included with Squeeze crashes when I unplug the USB
headset, I need to run a newer kernel that has a patch for that
problem. (I'm afraid of testing because it does not appear it ever
pauses for a "snapshot." If Debian testing had "freeze points" like
"Fedora 14" or "Ubuntu 11.04" or such, I would probably run testing.
But testing never pauses for a mostly working snapshot. Right?)
I've followed discussion on this in here and in the web, some people
suggest a pinning setup, some people suggest waiting for
debian-backports to introduce the updated versions of programs, and
some people suggested setting the repositories for Debian Wheezy (same
as testing at the moment, right?) to get the applications from there,
and just allow apt (or synaptic, somehow different from apt in
dependency management?) to just take what is required to run the new
version.
I've experimented quite a bit with this, and have not yet found a
satisfactory plan. If I temporarily enable the Wheezy repositories
and install new versions of things, and then disable Wheezy
repositories, then I don't get security or other updates on the
testing plan. If I re-enable Wheezy repositories, then the proposed
update list includes almost all packages, not just the ones I
specifically installed from Wheezy.
I *think* pinning might be the right way to fix this, but I have not
found a configuration that would install updates from Wheezy when I
want them and take them from Squeeze when I don't. For example,
Squeeze still has the two editions of tcl and tk, with names like
tcl8.4 and tcl8.5, whereas Wheezy updates want to remove the 8.4
editions and just go with 8.5. I use some applications that will not
work if that happens.
pj
--
Paul E. Johnson
Professor, Political Science
1541 Lilac Lane, Room 504
University of Kansas
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