Re: kitchen

[Peter Cordes <peter@llama.nslug.ns.ca>]

On Thu, May 24, 2001 at 01:27:03PM -0700, Heather wrote:
> > On Thu, 24 May 2001, Daniel E Baumann wrote:
> > 
> > [cut wine package listings]
> > 
> > > However, I do not recommend using non-free programs :).
> > 
> > Huh?  Wine is in main.  Not non-free.
> > 
> > BTW, you'll also need the libwine package to install wine.
> 
> I believe that he means, wine would usually be most useful to run some
> -very- non-free programs.
> 
> Nonetheless, I have a *huge* mswin software collection, much of it shareware
> and freeware, and a few non MS licensed apps that could be useful, but I'm
> completely chicken about Unstable for the moment.

 Problems with unstable are mostly in dependencies and pre/postinst scripts,
and other minor packaging errors.  Of course, if software you use a lot has
a version in unstable that is actually an alpha or beta version, but a
stable version is in woody, then you might not want to run all unstable.
What I do is run woody, but with the unstable repositories in my sources.list,
and
APT::Default-Release "testing";  in my apt.conf.  (see apt_preferences(5),
etc.)  This way,  apt-get install package   gets the package from woody,
unless it only exists in unstable.  apt-get install package/unstable  gets
the unstable version.  apt-get -t unstable  lets apt upgrade the
dependencies to their unstable version if necessary.

 I've found that running an unstable libc is not actually as bad as it
sounds.  It's a really important package, so Ben makes sure he doesn't break
it :)  Of course, I wouldn't be running unstable packages if I didn't think
I could hack my way out of any problems, so it's not for novices, but having
a few packages from unstable is not a big deal, even if they are important
ones.  If all my packages were the unstable versions, I would probably see a
lot more bugs caused by packaging errors than I do currently.

 Running the unstable versions of packages you are actively interested in is
a good way to contribute to debian, and takes a lot less effort than hoping
that lots of people will test everything by running unstable across the board.

(Notice that I managed to argue that my position is the Right Thing to do.
Err, I didn't quite mean to do that, but whatever. :)


-- 
#define X(x,y) x##y
Peter Cordes ;  e-mail: X(peter@llama.nslug. , ns.ca)

"The gods confound the man who first found out how to distinguish the hours!
 Confound him, too, who in this place set up a sundial, to cut and hack
 my day so wretchedly into small pieces!" -- Plautus, 200 BCE