Re: Sarge Release

[Russell Shaw <rjshaw@iprimus.com.au>]

David Krider wrote:
> Russell Shaw wrote:
>
>
> > I started with old woody then learnt to compile and install the 2.4.20
> > kernel. Then i installed packages from testing whenever i needed something
> > more up-to-date. I've also been installing a few things from unstable, and
> > other packages direct from tarballs. It's all easy, and you can make debian
> > as modern as you like.
>
>
> I have been searching this list in vain for weeks trying to find someone
> who actually 1) knows something about the harder issues and 2) is
> willing to share this knowledge. With this one statement, you've
> certainly shown yourself to be the former...
>
> Can I ask you a favor? How do you go about installing *just* XFree from
> testing? I've read a little about "pinning," but I'm afraid I haven't
> gotten my brain around the concept yet. If you could email me the
> relevant /etc/apt/* files that you use to setup your desktop system, I
> would be forever in your debt. There's just nothing like seeing a real
> example.

Hi,
To be able to install stuff from testing and unstable, put in /etc/apt/sources.list:

<choose a mirror for your location>
deb http://ftp.au.debian.org/debian             stable main contrib non-free
deb http://ftp.au.debian.org/debian             testing main contrib non-free
deb http://ftp.au.debian.org/debian             unstable main contrib non-free

Put in /etc/apt/apt.conf:

APT::Default-Release "stable";     < you could use testing or unstable >
APT::Cache-Limit 10000000;

Now do: apt-get update
to rebuild the package indexes.

If you use Default-Release=stable, then you can do: apt-get install -t testing <package>
If you use Default-Release=testing, then you don't need the -t option. Likewise for
unstable.

Now, find out what there is in the way of X that needs to be installed:
  apt-cache search xfree86|sort
  apt-cache search xserver|sort

x-window-system - X Window System
xbase-clients - miscellaneous X clients
xfree86-common
xserver-xfree86
xserver-common

You need the X server, and the X client. I can't remember the order, so just try
any or all:

apt-get install x-window-system/testing           < or: -t testing>
apt-get install xbase-clients/testing
apt-get install xfree86-common/testing
apt-get install xserver-xfree86/testing
apt-get install xserver-common/testing

If they have dependencies, you *might* need to then apt-get the dependency.
If you change to: Default-Release "testing", that may not happen.
You can use deselect or aptitude. I've read about pinning, but i didn't
fully understand it. I think you only need it if you want to control the
versions of certain packages when you do a total system upgrade. I've
never bothered. I just install newer packages as i need them.