[Gnumed-devel] Re: gnumed-server packages

[Andreas Tille]

On Tue, Jun 16, 2009 at 06:59:08AM -0700, Jim Busser wrote:
>> but rather try:
>>    apt-get -t testing install gnumed-client
>
>
> I updated the related wiki page and only wonder, if the above is used on 
> a machine where main is the 'stable' distribution, then will the fact 
> that gnumed-client was taken from 'testing' be respected the next time 
> the user tries to apt-get update?

No.  Apt-get stays in the default distribution and leaves packages
with higher versions just untouched.  The solution suggested above
provides no notification about new versions in testing.

> Or is the user likely to be presented 
> with a dependency mismatch that (each time) will need

There is no reason for a dependency mismatch.

>> apt-get -t testing install gnumed-client
>
> Provided that enough gnumed dependencies are included in the pinning, it 
> seemed to me pinning (once properly set up) could be the lower  
> maintenance solution

In case the dependencies remain constant - yes.  Assuming that for
instance the python version in testing might change in the not so
distant future this might lead to conflicts.  So there is no real
option to avoid maintenance issues.  For my personal feeling the
-t option to apt-get is easier - but that's a matter of taste.

> since it is still not clear to me how well Synaptic 
> Package Manager supports mixed systems where that is what we would get a 
> more-newbie-than-me user to employ (notwithstanding Lenny's SPM had a bad 
> bug, at least some months ago)

Perhaps for using GUI based package managers like synaptic the
apt_pinning method is more save.  I have no idea how to specify
the target distribution for synaptic and friends / competitors.
The docs might uncover this secret.

Kind regards

    Andreas.

-- 
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