Re: dselect, can't do update

[Raja R Harinath <harinath@cs.umn.edu>]

Dave Carrigan <dave@rudedog.org> writes:
> Bruce Sass <bsass@freenet.edmonton.ab.ca> writes:
>> If you try to edit /var/cache/apt/available and rerun `update' your
>> fixes get over written when the available file is built.
>> 
>> If you edit the files in /var/lib/apt/lists to fix the problem (in the
>> entries for the blt and blt-demo packages), apt notices that you don't
>> have the same as what is in the remote archive and fetches the files
>> again -- first downloading them into /var/lib/apt/lists/partial.
> 
> Actually, I fixed the problem yesterday for myself by editing 
> 
>  /var/lib/apt/lists/http.us.debian.org_debian_dists_unstable_main_binary-i386_Packages
> 
> and apt did not download a new one on the next dselect update. I think
> maybe it compares timestamps and does not download a new packages file
> if the local one is newer. 

A "less" intrusive method is to edit 

  /var/cache/apt/available

and then run 

  dpkg --merge-avail /var/cache/apt/available

- Hari
-- 
Raja R Harinath ------------------------------ harinath@cs.umn.edu
"When all else fails, read the instructions."      -- Cahn's Axiom
"Our policy is, when in doubt, do the right thing."   -- Roy L Ash