Questions pertaining to APT HOWTO
Occasionaly when I am reading the APT How-To I run across things that I don't understand. Usually this should require little feedback from the more experienced members, but it is of great help to me and other readers. Hopefully we can clear some things up; I might bump this thread with questions from time to time.
A first question refers to terminology. There are references to Debian versions, and references to distributions. Then there are branches. One crosses these repeatedly. For example, in section 3.8: "People are sometimes interested in using one of the Debian versions as its main system distribution and one or more packages from another branch." Is it correct that the versions are the "releases," i.e., Potato, Slinky, Woody, Sarge or even the permanent Sid? Now in normal Linux terminology, distributions are Debian, SUSE, Redhat, Gentoo, etc. Here it is clear that a different sense is meant, but unclear what that is. I don't know, so: What is a branch? As you might imagine, I got the idea for this thread while puzzling over a given context. That context is naturally the same as the above citation, section 3.8, about the mixed system. There it refers to the file: /etc/apt/apt.conf I don't have this file on my system. Here's what I do have: Code:
nathan:/etc/apt# ls -la This will help me run the occasional package from Sid. :) |
"People are sometimes interested in using one of the Debian versions as its main system distribution and one or more packages from another branch."
Let's say i use Sarge as my main system, but want to use a package from Sid. "There it refers to the file: /etc/apt/apt.conf I don't have this file on my system. Here's what I do have: [...]" sure. |
Re: Questions pertaining to APT HOWTO
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HappyTux,
Thanks very much on the confirmation on apt.conf and preferences. I'll apply it as per your advice in my current sound thread. I'm still not clear on the terms version, distribution and branch, but your response does help me see that there is some equivalence in the way they are used in this instance. They all seem to be referring more or less to the same kind of thing. I'll keep my eyes out as I read the docs and see if I can work it out more specifically. That particular sentence did throw me though. |
Outside Debian, 'distributions' are suse, mandrake, gentoo, etc.
within Debian: branches = distributions = versions (sid, sarge, woody) capisci, amico? why would they talk about suse, when explaining apt-pinning? Don't look for a fifth leg on a cat, don't miss the forest for the trees. :) |
"Now in normal Linux terminology, distributions are Debian, SUSE, Redhat, Gentoo, etc. Here it is clear that a different sense is meant, but unclear what that is."
Don't know what kept me from seeing this earlier, but it is easy to gather from the text what a version is: Quote:
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So I more or less agree with branch = distribution = version, but I believe they refer to stable, testing and unstable, rather than Woody, Potato, etc. Weird to use three terms for the same thing and then say "version of the version. Edit: disabled smilies |
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