[Tfug] Re: debian quandary: install 3rd-party deb, upgrade to etch or sid, or compile upstream?

[Harry McGregor]

Hi,

On Thu, 2005-11-17 at 12:36 -0700, t takahashi wrote:
> so i don't want to upgrade to etch or unstable except on a test box? 
> ah, i was looking forward to the new sig-aware apt and some new
> programs.  but if you guys say it's messy, i'd better pay attention.

During parts of development SID and Testing can be messy.  Being willing
to run unstable means that you have to keep up with the mess, and know
how to clean it up, and when not to update.

> this is kind of making me look wistfully at ubuntu.  anybody know if
> debian will go to the 6 month release model any time soon, or is
> sarge's lifecycle the best indication of etch's?

Unstable and Testing are good for a desktop, so is ubuntu.

Stable is wonderful for a server, you can setup cron-apt and have it
auto upgrade and it will just keep working.  Make sure you set your apt
sources to use the release name, and not stable if you do this.

> the packages i have my eye on are the sig-aware apt, new versions of
> important file archivers and crypto type stuff (and therefore if i use
> backports.org, i want to make sure whoever puts them together knows
> what he is doing -- are all the packages there done by just one
> person?), 10 or so  minor new packages that i don't absolutely need,
> and mozilla-firefox.  i can imagine sarge getting increasingly patchy
> if i keep looking for and installing new versions of these things.

Correct, but you can always dpkg --remove or dpkg --purge the package,
and apt-get install it again.

> it's a relief to know i can just install the upstream deb, though.  i
> was worried since it doesn't exist in sarge proper, so i didn't think
> i could get back to the older etch version that i am running now. 
> maybe i just have to use apt-get.org or something and get the version
> i have now.

I would recommend sticking with Sarge on the desktop until SID settles
down a bit, and then testing out SID on a system you can afford to test
with.

			Harry
> 
> --
> Webmaster: do you believe that people will switch browsers to view
> your page instead of going to your competitor?
> _______________________________________________
> tfug mailing list
> tfug at tfug.org
> http://www.tfug.org/mailman/listinfo/tfug