Re: Slink to Potato
Hi Brad; unless Mutt is confused, you wrote:
---stuff snipped here--
> Depending on the particular package, recompiling for slink can be as
> simple as "apt-get --compile source packagename" (with a new enough
> version of apt, of course). The versioned Perl dependancies and such can
> be fixed by editing debian/control in the downloaded source.
Sorry for jumping in here, but I'd like to add my two cents in. I am using
Debian for 4 years now, or close to that, but these must be the most confusing
6 months I remember if you are a Debian user. Could Debian management (do they
read this group at all?) decide what is the direction they will be taking
_and_ post that on the official Debian web-site? Isn't that what the site is
for? Instead of going thru the archives of the debian-devel and such? I agree
with the original author of this thread, if slink is current stable release,
why not update the non-essential packages every, say, major upstream release?
Leave the libc6 and other essential packages where they are now... I am, and I
think other non-computer-oriented users, would be happy to take the risk of my
window manager not working quite right, knowing we can back out of it without
breaking the whole system.
Now, to the apt thing. I am in a great minority here, but is it still
possible to fetch the packages (say in potato) and command-line-install them
(remember dpkg --install my.pkg.deb?). I have recently tried to update my
XFree to 3.3.4 from ftp.netgod.x using this method and it wouldn't go. Why am
I asking about apt? Because I prefer control dpkg is giving me; I always
disliked Windows way of " Updating files now" thingy leaving me clueless on
what is being updated. And I prefer to know that upfront rather than reading
the changelogs after the fact. read more on this below. And if I have to get
sources and apt-get source them, I am better off just compiling them myself
and again, use dpkg -i ( after getting debianized sources, that is).
> It's not standard, but check out ftp.netgod.net/x. Many slinkified apps
> there.
They _used_ to have only slink stuff. New Navigator packages (just tried them
after downloading them and doing my dpkg thingy) are apparently compiled
against libc2.1, xlib6g 3.3.4 or higher and libstdc++2.9-libc2.1! If I did
apt-get, would the system go off and updated my libc6 to satisfy Navigator 4.7
( is Naviagotr tarball from Netscape really done up against libc2.1 or is that
internal to Debian?) without me realizing this and just answered (foolishly)
yes to upgrade? I realize there will be lots of answers with people pointing
out that apt can do this and that, but my question stays: can I just use dpkg
command after dowloading packages manually even if they are meant to be used
with apt?
Sorry for being way too long, but I thought this an appropriate thread to ask
this sort of thing.
TIA,
damir
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