Bug#115517: apt: example preferences files should be included
Package: apt
Version: 0.5.4
Severity: normal
Wrapping your head around how the /etc/apt/preferences files work,
especially with all the numeric values, is a real pain. A lot of users end
up asking on debian-user for examples of such files. The two most common
things they want to do are surely:
* pin to testing, but allow per-package upgrades to unstable
* pin to stable, but allow per-package upgrades to testing
I guess there are probably other things people often want to do, but I
can't think of them offhand. Of course one example file in
/usr/doc/apt/examples should suffice for both of these. Here is my go
at it, based on a file I've been using for some time.
X-Comment: This example /etc/apt/preferences file causes the system to
X-Comment: track testing (or whatever is specified after "a="). Packages
X-Comment: may be upgraded individually to their unstable versions, and
X-Comment: apt will then track the unstable version. See apt_preferences(5)
X-Comment: for details.
X-Comment: (Remember to list both testing and unstable in your sources.list.)
Package: *
Pin: release a=testing
Pin-Priority: 900
Package: *
Pin: release o=Debian
Pin-Priority: -10
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