As some other users have noticed, while ia32-libs is available for installation on an etch system, ia32-libs-gtk isn't; the latter package is requiring a version of ia32-libs that's greater than its own version (eg., ia32-libs is v 1.19 && the ia32-libs-gtk in the official repository wants v 1.20 && claims it is v 1.21).

Some source package hacking took care of the immediate problem; I built an ia32-libs-gtk w a lower version #. That was only after I attempted to use the ia32-libs and ia32-libs-gtk in "testing" || "unstable" (currently, they're the same version).

Those libraries are for 32-bit emulation on 64-bit systems; the specific problem I encountered was that pretty much no 32-bit apps worked after I installed them.

However, after I hacked ia32-libs-gtk, it installed w no problems && I can't think of any 32-bit app that doesn't work.

My question is this: in order to upgrade ia32-libs (&& -gtk) would I have to first upgrade all the 32-bit libraries in /emul/ia32-linux ? Or is there another reason why this shouldn't have worked (or should it have)?

"rickh", I read over your mixed system guide && the materials you pointed me to; thanks very much - what I'm in need of now is some guidance as to what I should expect to be able to backport and what I shouldn't.

Thanks in advance,
Larry

See if this link is of value to you, I hope it helps.

http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/534


Norb

Thanks! That, actually, was just what I was looking for - a jumping-off point more than anything.

Between the link you sent me and these others - and at least one additional one I seem to have lost - sorry - how everything fits together is pretty clear to me (today, anyway):

http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/356
http://www.debian-administration.org/articles/531
http://alioth.debian.org/docman/view....html#id292924

The second part of the puzzle was apt and pinning; there seem to be plenty of excellent resources on the web regarding
those subjects. Here are a few:

http://jaqque.sbih.org/kplug/apt-pinning.html
http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/ap....en.html#s-pin

N.B. aptitude is a lot more than just a list-based package retrieval system; I was very glad that I found and read through the discussion at

http://www.dslreports.com/forum/r186...ts-and-aptconf

before going a whole lot further.

If anyone else is unclear with respect to how the different 32-on-64 strategies work, or not sure they understand how everything fits together in Debian - particularly others who are intimately familiar with other distributions who are attempting to give Debian a go - please let me know.

Thanks,
Larry