%% Daniel Borgmann <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> writes: db> why aren't stable packages for the unstable tree moved to the db> potato tree?
Because that would be very difficult. First, packages all depend on other packages. The package in woody may well depend on other packages with newer versions in woody, so you can't always just stuff one package by itself from woody into potato. Second, people aren't testing the package on potato, they're testing it on woody (usually), so just because it appears stable on woody doesn't mean it will work as well on potato. db> am i dammned to use years old unstable software packages until db> woody is released next year? There is help coming for you. In the next few weeks, hopefully, the entire unstable package archive will be rearranged completely (although, it won't be obvious to us peons). The goal is to create a concept of "package pools", so instead of just three package areas (stable, frozen, unstable) we'll have as many as we like. Packages can/will appear in more than one. The idea is you can declare, for example, that you want to upgrade this pool of packages but not that one, etc. Also, there's the "test package pool", where packages will automatically be moved into that pool if that package (and all the packages it depends on) has been available for 2 weeks or so with no critical bugs logged against it; this should provide a pretty solid distribution. The whole package dependency thing will allow this to all work without simply generating a huge mess. Once package pools are available, I predict many wonderful things will start happening. Stay tuned. db> can i use single woody packets (e.g. licq) on a potato base db> without problems? and what should i do to do so? i mean, if i db> only want to update licq but remain in the potato tree for every db> other package. You can update individual packages _if_ their prerequisites are all met. Add the unstable tree to your apt.source list, then use "apt-get install xxxx" to install just package xxxx. _Don't_ use "apt-get upgrade" or "apt-get dist-upgrade" or you'll get all of woody. If APT needs to install other woody packages in order to meet the requirements for the package you want to install, it'll list them then you have to decide whether you want to go ahead or not. Your other alternative is to download the source to the woody package, then build it into a package using your potato libraries, etc. using the Debian package tools, then you can install that. -- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Paul D. Smith <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> HASMAT--HA Software Methods & Tools "Please remain calm...I may be mad, but I am a professional." --Mad Scientist ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- These are my opinions---Nortel Networks takes no responsibility for them.
