Re: trouble installing ruby in etch

["Gordon Pedersen" <gordon@visi.com>]

On 10/18/07, Ron Johnson <ron.l.johnson@cox.net> wrote:
> >
> > Is it possible to install ruby wholly within debian stable at this
> > moment in time?
> >
> > When I try, it appears that the following dependency chain
> >
> >   ruby -> ruby1.8 -> libruby1.8 -> libc6 (>= 2.3.6-6) [i386]
> >
> > leads apt-get to want to install packages from the "testing" dist,
> > including some major C library-related pkgs (see below).  I'm worried
> > about allowing that to happen, afraid system will start losing
> > integrity, etc.
> >
> > It decides to remove stable package libc6 (2.3.6.ds1-13etch2), then
> > goes to get libc6 (2.6.1-1+b1 Debian:testing) and continues on with
> > testing pkgs.
> >
> > I can't decipher the meaning of the stable libc6 package version
> > (2.3.6.ds1-13etch2).
> >
> > Is it a legitimate dependency for libruby1.8?
> >
> > If so, where do I look to find out how to install libruby1.8 in the
> > face of apt-get thinking it has a missing dependency?
> >
> > If not, what are my options?
>
> You seem to be running a mixed system.  Not good.

I stand humbled.  I just took the "testing" lines from
/etc/apt/sources.list and now the dependencies are calculated
differently.

I see now looking more closely that libruby1.8 has different
subversions in stable vs testing, and they depend on different
versions of libc6.  I had thought that a package named "libruby1.8"
would point to the same underlying code in both.  That explains why so
many testing libraries were pulled in ....

...except, why were testing packages favored over stable?

That is interesting but not crucial to answer.

For me a more important and useful question is this:  if I feel the
need to bring in one or a few testing packages, what is a good
procedure to follow?  I'll start a new thread with appropriate subject
for that.

Gordon