[Date Prev][Date Next] [Thread Prev][Thread Next] [Date Index] [Thread Index]

Re: Probs Installing Testing pkgs on Woody stable



On Sat, 2003-10-11 at 05:34, Eric Walstad wrote:
> Hi All,
> 
> I'm a Debian newbie.  Please be gentle.
> 
> I've installed Woody stable and now find that I need to install:

> .html
> hostap-utils.html
> wireless-tools.html
> for a project I'm working on[1].  I think these packages are only available in 
> Debian's Sarge/Testing, but I'm not entirely clear on how to tell that for 
> sure. 

http://packages.debian.org/cgi-bin/search_packages.pl?keywords=hostap-source&searchon=names&subword=1&version=all&release=all

(If you have galeon, just type the package name into the debs field in
the bookmarks toolbar and it will fetch that URL for you.)

>  When I try to dpkg --install them or apt-get install them I get errors 
> to the effect that I'm going to screw with other packages if I install these.  
> Sorry, I'm at home now and don't have the command lines I issued nor the 
> error messages.

Some apt requests can be impossible to fulfil; you would need to show
the error messages.

...
> I think my problems are, and hope for help with:
> - I'm confused about apt-get vs. dpkg, when to use which and what they can and 
> can't do.  I thought that one or both would magically handle the dependencies 
> for me, installing what is needed for me even if it meant replacing packages 
> with newer, testing, versions.

apt-get will install all packages needed to fulfil your request, if it
is possible.  The command is

        apt-get install package

dpkg installs a single package from a deb file:

        dpkg -i /path/to/package_1.2.3-4_i386.deb
        
Using dpkg may leave dependencies unmet.  Apt-get uses dpkg to install
packages.

> - Should I up[grade|date] my entire installation to Sarge/Testing?  If so, 
> how?  The best I could find on Debian.org said that I should burn a minimal 
> CD and then install from the net.  Burning the CD is no trouble but, when I 
> tried to take this approch when installing Woody, it was not clear to me how 
> to specify a network install and from which site[s] the deb packages should 
> come.

I would not advise using sarge; things tend to be out of date for a long
time and non-bugginess is not guaranteed.  unstable gets problems fixed
much more quickly, though you are at the small risk of serious problems
if there are bad bugs in a package.

> - Should I just install these packages in non-debian form (from sources)?

If you do, put them in /usr/local so as not to conflict with files
installed by packages.  

-- 
Oliver Elphick                                Oliver.Elphick@lfix.co.uk
Isle of Wight, UK                             http://www.lfix.co.uk/oliver
GPG: 1024D/3E1D0C1C: CA12 09E0 E8D5 8870 5839  932A 614D 4C34 3E1D 0C1C
                 ========================================
     "I waited patiently for the LORD; and he inclined unto 
      me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an 
      horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet 
      upon a rock, and established my goings."              
                                         Psalms 40:1,2 



Reply to: