On Tue, Jul 03, 2012 at 12:17:39PM -0600, Paul E Condon wrote: > > Let me join in the discussion of what I intended by my badly > worded request: > > 1. I need a way of learning the name of the package that might help > with some problem, a place on the web where I can pick up search terms > on a topic with which I am not familiar. At the beginning of my > search, I simply don't know what to type in the search box. In the > particular case of backports of packages that I am already using > and are serving me well enough as is, but might have a backport that > is actually much better, how do I discover that backport? But more > likely situation is that I have tried and found wanting the package > in the original release, but would revisit the issue if I knew their > was a backport. Tracking backports of software that I am somehow > able to live without is not something to which I can allot much time. > But I might be missing out on some really neat stuff.
Add backports to your sources, update, then spend some time comparing your favourite packages, see answer to 2+3. Remember a package may be backported at anytime, so you may need to check more than once. Honestly, if you are that worried about newer software and don't have a real reason for running "stable" (and if you have backports in your sources, it can be argued that you are no longer running stable anyway), why not run testing? > 2. If I do decide to put squeeze-backports in my sources.list, will > the backported packages be displayed in the interactive browser? Yes, should be. Disclaimer: I don't run aptitude or synaptic. > 3. If they are displayed in interactive mode, will I be able to tell > that they are backports? (so that I can exercise that extra caution > that has been recommended in this thread) There is normally a "bpo" string somewhere in the version string, but I presume (see answer to 2) that the repository from which the package(s) belong(s) to will be shown. > These are questions that are quite low priority because I am generally > quite satisfied with the pace of development in Debian. If the > answers indicate that using backports is not for me, I'll not > complain. I think if you are running a production system, then you should be intimate enough with the software to know when a new feature is wanting etc, etc. Otherwise, it is just wanting to "be up with the Joneses" :) -- "If you're not careful, the newspapers will have you hating the people who are being oppressed, and loving the people who are doing the oppressing." --- Malcolm X -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org Archive: http://lists.debian.org/20120703210212.GB25018@tal
