apt-get package priorities / installing KDE troubles
[SORRY, BUT THIS IS LONG]
Hi,
I'm running an up-to-date "testing" system and I would like to upgrade a
minimum set of packages so that I can use KDE 2.2 without useing the
rest of unstable. I read the other posts (especially the one about
pinning packets) and the /etc/apt/preferences manual page, but I still
get some odd effects.
First I used "apt-get dist-upgrade" without unstable in the apt sources
list to be up-to-date with testing.
Here is what I did then:
-> I added unstable to /etc/apt/sources.list
Now there is stable, testing and unstable in it, each with several
lines about main/contrib/non-free, plus the security server.
-> I added the following to /etc/apt/preferences:
Package: *
Pin: release a=testing
Pin-Priority: 777
Package: *
Pin: release a=unstable
Pin-Priority: 333
-> I issued "apt-get -u dist-upgrade" expecting nothing to happen
because my installation was up-to-date with testing and unstable had
a lower priority. Alas, apt wanted top upgrade quite a number of
packets:
Reading Package Lists... Done
Building Dependency Tree... Done
Calculating Upgrade... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
artsbuilder kchart kde-designer kdebase kdebase-audiolibs kdict
kdm kformula killustrator kivio knewsticker koffice koffice-libs
konqueror koshell kpresenter krayon kscreensaver kspread kword
libarts libarts-dev libarts-mpeglib libkmid libkonq3 libqt-dev
mysql-client mysql-server noatun xemacs21-bin xemacs21-nomule
xemacs21-support
The following packages have been kept back
kdebase-crypto kdebase-libs kdelibs3 kdelibs3-crypto konsole kscd
kugar libqt2 libqutil1 mpeglib xemacs21
The following packages will be upgraded
ash autoconf cddb cpp cpp-2.95 g++ g++-2.95 gcc gcc-2.95 gdb
groff groff-base heimdal-lib kdeartwork-misc
kdeartwork-theme-window kdebase-doc kdelibs3-doc kdewallpapers
libelfg0 libg++2.8.1.3-glibc2.2 libmimelib1 libmng-dev libmng1
libqt3 libqxt0 libstdc++2.10-dev libstdc++2.10-glibc2.2 mesag3
pcmcia-cs procmail qt-doc
31 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 32 to remove and 11 not
upgraded.
Need to get 21.1MB of archives. After unpacking 98.8MB will be freed.
-> I don't understand this. Why is apt-get trying to upgrade the
packages???
Is it what is described in apt_preferences(5) in the section
"INTERESTING EFFECTS"?
This is still strange, because this would not upgrade completely to
unstable. Because if I remove /etc/apt/preferences completely much
I get an error about unmet dependencies. I have no idea how the
packages in the list above were selected.
Does this mean that I need to set the testing priority to a number
above 1000 to get around the "downgrading barrier"?
But, if I do this, does this mean that once I upgraded to KDE 2.2
and I issue another "apt-get -u dist-upgrade" command apt will
downgrade to the old KDE packages in testing?
-> Anyway, I tried setting the testing priority to 7777. I started
"apt-get -u dist-upgrade" again, still expecting nothing to be
upgraded. But it was much worse:
The following packages will be REMOVED:
abbrowser ark artsbuilder docbook-stylesheets kab karm kcalc
kcharselect kchart kcron kde-designer kdebase kdebase-audiolibs
kdebase-crypto kdebase-libs kdelibs3 kdelibs3-crypto kdepasswd
kdf kdict kdm kedit keystone kfind kformula kfract kghostview
khexedit kiconedit killustrator kit kivio kjots kmail kmix
knetload knewsticker knode knotes koffice koffice-libs
konqueror konsole korganizer korn koshell kpackage kpaint
kpilot kpixmap2bitmap kpm kpresenter krayon kreversi kruler
kscd kscreensaver ksirc ksnapshot ksokoban kspread ksysctrl
ksysv ktimemon kugar kuser kview kword libarts libarts-dev
libarts-mpeglib libkmid libkonq3 libmimelib1 libqt-dev
mysql-client mysql-server noatun pixie secpolicy
The following NEW packages will be installed:
libqt2-dev xemacs21-mule xemacs21-mulesupport
The following packages will be upgraded
kdeartwork-misc kdeartwork-theme-window libqt3
The following packages will be DOWNGRADED
apmd ash cddb cpp freetype2 g++ g++-2.95 gcc gcc-2.95 gdb
gnuplot groff groff-base heimdal-lib jade kdebase-doc
kdelibs3-doc kdewallpapers ldso libelfg0 libg++2.8.1.3-glibc2.2
liblcms liblcms-dev libmng-dev libmng1 libqt2 libqutil1 libqxt0
libstdc++2.10-dev libstdc++2.10-glibc2.2 libttf2 mesag3 mpeglib
pcmcia-cs prc-tools procmail qt-doc samba-common smbfs strace
xemacs21 xemacs21-bin xemacs21-nomule xemacs21-support
3 packages upgraded, 3 newly installed, 44 downgraded, 80 to remove and
3 not upgraded.
-> So now it wants to remove halfs of my system and downgrade the other
half??? Ugh.
-> Next try: I read apt_preferences(5) again and used the following in
/etc/apt/preferences:
Package: *
Pin: release a=testing
Pin-Priority: 777
Package: *
Pin: release a=unstable
Pin-Priority: 33
-> This should put unstable below the "automatic upgrade" barrier. And
so far, it worked. "apt-get dist-upgrade" would keep my testing
system exactly as it is now.
-> Ok. So far so good. Now we need to get KDE2.2 into this. I used
"apt-get -u -t unstable install kde" to select KDE from unstable.
This outputs the following list:
The following extra packages will be installed:
artsbuilder kate kde-designer kdebase kdebase-audiolibs
kdebase-libs kdelibs3 kdict kdm kformula koffice koffice-libs
konqueror konsole kontour kscreensaver libarts libarts-dev
libarts-mpeglib libkdenetwork1 libkmid libkonq3 libmimelib1
libqt-dev libqt2 libqutil1 libqxt0 mpeglib noatun pcmcia-cs
procmail suidmanager xemacs21 xemacs21-bin xemacs21-nomule
xemacs21-support xlibs
The following packages will be REMOVED:
gimp1.2 gimp1.2-nonfree gimp1.2-print killustrator libgimp1.2
The following NEW packages will be installed:
kate kde kontour libkdenetwork1 suidmanager
The following packages will be upgraded
artsbuilder kde-designer kdebase kdebase-audiolibs kdebase-libs
kdelibs3 kdict kdm kformula koffice koffice-libs konqueror konsole
kscreensaver libarts libarts-dev libarts-mpeglib libkmid libkonq3
libmimelib1 libqt-dev libqt2 libqutil1 libqxt0 mpeglib noatun
pcmcia-cs procmail xemacs21 xemacs21-bin xemacs21-nomule
xemacs21-support xlibs
33 packages upgraded, 5 newly installed, 5 to remove and 169 not
upgraded.
Need to get 40.1MB/40.2MB of archives. After unpacking 19.0MB will be
freed.
-> Sigh. Now why does it remove gimp? I want it installed!
And why is xemacs21 upgraded? I cannot see any connection with KDE.
Given that I use xemacs daily I don't feel comfortable with using the
unstable version.
-> I tried "apt-get -u -t unstable install kde gimp1.2" to force apt-get
to keep gimp installed. This gave the following message:
Sorry, gimp1.2 is already the newest version. [ I know, I know... ]
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:
Sorry, but the following packages have unmet dependencies:
gimp1.2: Depends: aalib1 (>= 1.2) but 1.4p5-2 is to be installed
Depends: libgimp1.2 (>= 1.2.0) but it is not going to be
installed
Depends: libglib1.2 (>= 1.2.0) but 1.2.10-1.2 is to be
installed
Depends: libjpeg62 but 6b-1.3 is to be installed
Depends: libpng2 but 1.0.12-2 is to be installed
libfreetype6: Conflicts: freetype but it is not installable
E: Sorry, broken packages
-> Does this mean that KDE nees a couple of newer libraries which are so
new that the old version of gimp won't work with them and is removed
(instead of upgraded)?
-> "apt-get -u -t unstable install gimp1.2" says that the newest version
is already installed. Does this mean that there is no gimp1.2 version
in Debian (unstable or other) which would work with the same
libraries as KDE 2.2?
-> Finally, I tried "apt-get -u -t unstable install kde gimp". This
would work, but I suspect that installing "gimp" would install the
old 1.0 version? So the very old version works with the new KDE stuff
but the new ond doesn't? Strange.
It would still update xemacs21, so I didn't upgrade anything for now and
I'm waiting for your input.
Depressed-ly Yours,
Walter
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