Hello

I have installed Mepis 3.3.2 testing 02.

I was just wondering what would happen if I were to have this as the only line in my sources.list

deb ftp://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ etch main contrib non-free

And do an apt-get update && apt-get dist-upgrade

Will I then have a set of Debian-testing packages? Will my system be broken in anyway?

I want to have the testing version of Debian, but it is too much of a hassle. Mepis on the other hand offers me the power of Debian with ease and simplicity, and comes preloaded with a lot of goodies and so I thought this would be an easy way to have Etch packages.

Thanks !

Regards
Hari

I'm using 3.3.2-test02 day2day just fine.

I first went to testing, works fine.
Stable as.

Now got brave and moved up to unstable.
Again stable as.
NH

if you want a mepis system with testing i suggest you download 2004.06 alter the sources.list and upgrade from there (it will be a very sizable upgrade) the later releases already have quite a few files from unstable and are hard to downgrade to testing.

Preparing to replace a2ps 1:4.13b-4.3 (using .../a2ps_1%3a4.13b-5_i386.deb) ...
ERROR: emacsen-common being used before being configured.
ERROR: This is likely a bug in the a2ps package, which needs to
ERROR: add one of the appropriate dependencies.
ERROR: See /usr/share/doc/emacsen-common/debian-emacs-policy.gz
ERROR: for details.
dpkg: warning - old pre-removal script returned error exit status 2
dpkg - trying script from the new package instead ...
ERROR: emacsen-common being used before being configured.
ERROR: This is likely a bug in the a2ps package, which needs to
ERROR: add one of the appropriate dependencies.
ERROR: See /usr/share/doc/emacsen-common/debian-emacs-policy.gz
ERROR: for details.
dpkg: error processing /var/cache/apt/archives/a2ps_1%3a4.13b-5_i386.deb (--unpack):
subprocess new pre-removal script returned error exit status 2
Errors were encountered while processing:
/var/cache/apt/archives/a2ps_1%3a4.13b-5_i386.deb
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

What could this possibly mean?

Thanks

Regards

Hari

As I recall there is a missing file to fix it do this as root:

mkdir /var/lib/emacsen-common
echo "" >> /var/lib/emacsen-common/installed-flavors

then do your little apt thing

Try this on some-else's computer first before trying it on your own. ;-)
[I had apt set to unstable]

I had a2ps pinned, worked for me.
I unpinned and upgraded, complained of errors.
Tried to make sense of your last tip Moz, didn't quite work for me, different errors but better ones. :-)

So...I...
Uninstalled [removed resdual as well] a2ps, that ment apsfilter as well for me.
Then Uninstalled [removed resdual as well] emacsen-common

Re-installed a2ps, then apsfilter, then emacsen-common.

That stoped the errors, all things happy.

I have skype, ndiswrapper-utils, rt2400 pinned at the moment, some problems/errors, not using any of their features.
NH

Hmm.. So those are the other programs that can cause potential dist-upgrade problems..do any body else know of any other programs in default Mepis installation that are likely to candidates for errors during apt-get dist-upgrade to testing?

Thanks a lot everyone

Regards
Hari

apt-listbugs will tell you all the known bugs of a package when you goto install, then you can decide for yourself if its worth upgrading each package

3.3.2-test02, xorg, kde 3.4.2, apt set to unstable, amd64, nForce3, ATI9550 v/c

Some issues with nForce onboard ethernet drivers,.

NH

Bump! Bump! I've been working on updating several different systems from Meops 3.3.2 test 03 for a few weeks now.

I've found everything aside from this a2ps thing easy to fix. The ndiswrapper package can be uninstalled and re-installed and no longer cause a problem with apt (though I find it doesn't work as well - it's probably better to build from CVS anyway). I swear I tried removing and re-installing a2ps and emacsen-common before - but it didn't work. So on a fresh install I tried what mos suggested and, I too received different errors:

Preparing to replace a2ps 1:4.13b-4.3 (using .../a2ps_1%3a4.13b-5_i386.deb) ...
/usr/lib/emacsen-common/packages/remove/a2ps: line 7: [: !=: unary operator expected
Unpacking replacement a2ps ...
Setting up a2ps (4.13b-5) ...
Installing new version of config file /etc/a2ps.cfg ...
/usr/lib/emacsen-common/packages/install/a2ps: line 11: [: =: unary operator expected
install/a2ps: Handling install for emacsen flavor
/usr/lib/emacsen-common/packages/install/a2ps: line 42: -q: command not found
emacs-package-install: /usr/lib/emacsen-common/packages/install/a2ps failed at /usr/lib/emacsen-common/emacs-package-install line 30, <TSORT> line 1.
dpkg: error processing a2ps (--configure):
subprocess post-installation script returned error exit status 127
Errors were encountered while processing:
a2ps
E: Sub-process /usr/bin/dpkg returned an error code (1)

Following Nix_Hard's advice, as root I removed and reinstalled the affected packages:

Everything seems to be working! thanks!

I simply love these forums !!!!

Just did it again myself, a fresh install on a IBM r40 ThinkPad, would not work doing it my way, backed up a little and read what virtualx had said, BINGO !!!

Mos was so right.
You have to apply his fix as stated, then my routine. Then the problem is gone.
Both myself & virtualx did mos's fix first [needs that file], before my uninstall/re-install routine. That's why it worked.
Hope this helps clear things up further.
NH

well you dont need to purge anything actually, if you install any variant of emacs after you do my solution

#apt-get install emacs21

I will try adding that file and get back to you

So I'm the lucky one who gets to follow up on mos's comment... --I borked the other machine that was only slightly broken due to a problem related to this. From what I understood mos was saying that I should be able to get away with just:
This did not work and I had to remove/reinstall a2ps and emacsen-common as stated before.


If anyone cares here's some more detail for reference:

After applying what I thought was mos's solution (listed above) I got the following error with regard to a2ps:


The reason I borked the machine and decided to go for a fresh install:

This thread wasn't here when I originally encountered the problem, so I had reduced the problem to tying to remove emacsen-common and it wouldn't uninstall. So I started uninstalling emacs everything and got stuck at emacs21-nox - it partially uninstalled, but I stopped it because it was taking forever (some program dpkg was using to decompile and cross check original dependencies was working hard, but not seeming to get anywhere). When I figured out what was going on I tried to let it continue, but it was too late - couldn't do anything --purge or --force-remove-reinstreq or remove the dir manually got me no where - took a suggestion to play with deselect - it uninstalled all window and desktop managers, then eventually it fscked X after I installed litestep and kdesktop etc.


In conclusion, to save time if you get the a2ps error just: