On Wed, 8 May 2013 14:26:20 -0500 "Mark Allums" <m...@allums.com> wrote:
> Re: Strange things going on in Sid > > > > On Wed, 08 May 2013 11:30:20 -0400 > > Frank McCormick <debianl...@videotron.ca> wrote: > > > > > After fixing a networking problem this morning, I attempted to > > > update my Sid system. > > > > > > > > > > > > I am dumbfounded at the number of packages apt wants to remove, > > > including things like gedit and rhythmbox ! > > > I have always run a unstable system but never had anything like > > > this before? > > > > > > What is going on here ? > > > > > > > > Bob has given a detailed answer, but yes, both Unstable and the new > > Testing are currently living in interesting times, and I do think > > the tsunami was a little higher this time than usual. I was given an > > unbootable kernel two days ago, and one of the dependencies for the > > headers didn't exist in sid. It does now, but I'll wait a while... > > > > I've done what I usually do in times of trouble and switched to > > Synaptic, which I find easier to use to maintain a working system > > and clear logjams. I'll go back to aptitude when the dust settles a > > bit. > > > This is why people should wait six months before switching to jessie, > and why sid is only for the experienced, the hard core, and those who > don't mind serious breakage leading to reinstalls. I was bitten by > the bad kernel, and as a side effect, it rendered X unusable as > well. No matter what kernel I chose to boot, and I had several to > choose from, X was toast. It was not a configuration issue, or a > mismatched kernel module. I never tried seriously to solve it, I > used it as an excuse to build a new machine. I have my data, and > that's all I care about. (Wheezy runs quite well on fairly recent > hardware, and installing on a non-locked UEFI system works well > enough.) My last kernel booted OK, and I pulled the offending 3.8. It was not offered again next time, and I'm not sure why it was offered the first time, as a change of kernel series is normally a manual matter. As far as I can see, I have no metapackage which would prefer 3.8 over 3.2. Waiting a while solves most sid problems, as long as it still boots. I have twice had to reinstall when it got broken beyond my abilities to fix, once with a nasty perl dependency loop and once because of the wretched grub. I do keep an up-to-date backup of /etc, and a saved --get-selections, and I don't keep any important data on the machine. I don't clean the cache too often, either. > > BTW, I find that aptitude is useful only in interactive mode. In > command mode, it is far too aggressive. I occasionally use > safe-upgrade, though. > Almost always, safe-upgrade is enough, and full-upgrade tells you what it proposes. Sometimes I ignore all the offered solutions, sometimes it is possible to fix the problem by upgrading one or two things at a time in a certain order, and I find Synaptic useful then. -- Joe -- 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/20130508205645.0cf63...@jretrading.com
