I recently started using the /etc/apt/preferences file to get Firestarter from unstable into my testing install of Sarge. My file follows:
---------- Package: * Pin: release a=testing Pin-Priority: 900 Package: firestarter Pin: release a=unstable Pin-Priority: 1100 Package: * Pin: release o=Debian Pin-Priority: -10 ---------- A few moments ago I updated my sources.list in preparation for Sarge going to stable. I changed all references to 'testing' to 'sarge'. I did this because I do NOT want to automatically upgrade to the new testing right away, I'll probably stick with Sarge for a few months after he goes stable. I had to leave the nerim entry as testing and unstable because he doesn't appear to support the release names. My sources.list follows: ---------- deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian sarge main contrib non-free deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US sarge/non-US main contrib non-free deb http://security.debian.org/ sarge/updates main contrib non-free deb ftp://ftp.nerim.net/debian-marillat/ testing main deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian sid main contrib non-free deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US sid/non-US main contrib non-free deb ftp://ftp.nerim.net/debian-marillat/ unstable main ---------- After starting up aptitude I had to update my cache, but after that everything looked fine. So I edited my /etc/apt/preferences and changed 'testing' to 'sarge' and 'unstable' to 'sid'. When I started up aptitude and updated, things weren't right. My installed packages were listed fine under Installed Packages. But under Uninstalled Packages everything was listed, even the ones I have installed. For my installed packages they had their currently installed version number, but <none> listed as their available version number. All uninstalled packages had <none> listed for both their available and installed version numbers. The conclusion I came to is that /etc/apt/preferences doesn't support the release specific names (woody, sarge, sid, etc) and only the generic names (stable, testing, and unstable). So I changed the entries in my preferences back to testing and unstable as listed above. It seems to me that the discrepency between /etc/apt/sources.list and /etc/apt/preferences could cause some serious problems for people when Sarge goes stable, especially if they have mixed distros. I don't have any automated updating, so I'll just have to remember to read the news before updating every day...that way I can alter the two files correctly before I update. But for people that have scripts which automate the update process, they could get fubar'd. Any thoughts? Ben -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
