Right,
This could be interresting to debate about.
It's still about debian "version", packages version and repositories.
Broadly, package are evoluting that way : The package is in really
beta version in the unstable tree. Then most of the bugs are fixed and
this package slides to the testing tree. This slide happens about
every 2 days. Finally, once every one or two years, the whole packages
slides to stable when they are the most bug free as possible.
Since the "BIG SWITCH" of the 06/06/2005, a big slide happened.
I'm running a sarge testing that is a snapshot of the 02/06/2005 and
now, i'd like to continue to stick with sarge but in its stable version.
But a question rise to me... And the little tab down there, illustrate
it : The same package version exists at different T time in the 3
trees. BUT ITS NOT BE THE SAME BINARIES!!!!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
| | Unstable | Testing |
Stable |
| T-2 | package-2.0 | package-1.9 | package-1.5 |
| T-1 | package-2.1 | package-2.0 | package-1.5 |
| T | package-2.2 | package-2.1 | package-2.0 |
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Let's look at the package-2.0
At T-2, it's in the Unstable tree and this package could have lot's of
bugs. Some days after (T-1), the project developper or the debian
maintainer of this package has fixed up a great part of these bugs and
the package is entering the the Testing tree. At T, the last bugs of
this package have ben fixed, and the package enter the stable tree.
All of this means, that the same package version can be different
binaries. for exemple package-2.0 at T-2 in the unstable tree is
filled up with bugs and at T in the Stable tree, the same package is
clean and fonctional.