Linux Mint Forums

Hello, everybody.

Thanks for visiting this page and i hope you don't mind to help me.

I have a basic question since I have been running my computer LMDE. Yesterday I used to have Ubuntu and it was very easy to use. When I wanted to update my software, I just needed to add repository, for example, in terminal "sudo add-apt-repository ppa:libreoffice/ppa" for updating Libreoffice 3.5.1 to 3.6.1. My question is "how to update my Libreoffice in my new LMDE?"

Thank you

There's no such thing as PPAs in Debian, but the LibreOffice guys have a Howto here: http://www.libre-software.net/how-to-in ... linux-mint (it's titled Ubuntu / Mint but will work for LMDE, too)

Or you can get it from Debian's experimental repository ;]

I read http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 0&t=128503 and I'm still not clear why LibreOffice is at version 3.5. in LMDE, when that version is outdated and not supported by LibreOffice. Stable version now is 3.6.x. and 3.5 support is discontinued
I can see that LO is at 3.5 at http://packages.debian.org/testing/ and there is no LO at http://packages.linuxmint.com/list.php?release=Debian. Since LO is maybe the most important user app for a general user, it'd be nice to make it updated in LMDE, so that it uses latest stable release from the oldest branch (it'd be 3.6.x now).

Tim-int wrote:and I'm still not clear why LibreOffice is at version 3.5

because that is the version in debian testing at the moment and with the freeze we don't see many new features added.

As told above, FWIW on my Debian Wheezy I currently have LO 4.x running fine by using official Debian "experimental" repos. When Wheezy is released, new(er) LO versions will come easier.

There is some discussion at http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=200&t=135428 about UP7. It even mentions Firefox which is regularly updated. I'd say it's LibreOffice which is properly updated not in Debian.

I can see that UP7 is near, it's in "incoming" repos of LMDE, as announced on http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=187&t=144198.
LO there will be upgraded from 3.5.4 (UP6) to 4.0.3-3 (UP7). I would even say that's too much. Current stable LO is 3.6.7. Even LO 4.0.5 has a lot of new bugs, not to mention LO 4.1.1. As a LO user, I'd pick last supported release which is 3.6.7. now.
LO in http://packages.debian.org/testing/editors/ is currently 4.1.0-5 and there is no LO in http://packages.debian.org/experimental/editors/. LO 4.1.x is not a good choice for everyday use, so it's good it's not in UP7.

BTW very good LMDE FAQ post at http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=197&t=91405.

Tim-int wrote:There is some discussion at http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=200&t=135428 about UP7. It even mentions Firefox which is regularly updated. I'd say it's LibreOffice which is properly updated not in Debian.

I can see that UP7 is near, it's in "incoming" repos of LMDE, as announced on http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=187&t=144198.
LO there will be upgraded from 3.5.4 (UP6) to 4.0.3-3 (UP7). I would even say that's too much. Current stable LO is 3.6.7. Even LO 4.0.5 has a lot of new bugs, not to mention LO 4.1.1. As a LO user, I'd pick last supported release which is 3.6.7. now.
LO in http://packages.debian.org/testing/editors/ is currently 4.1.0-5 and there is no LO in http://packages.debian.org/experimental/editors/. LO 4.1.x is not a good choice for everyday use, so it's good it's not in UP7.

BTW very good LMDE FAQ post at http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=197&t=91405.

not me: to get compatibility w/ MSFT/Office you need the cuurrent LibreOffice . just downloaded 4.1 from their site. I might get the update by doing an un-install/install process on the software manager or i might have to go thru the apt-get bit. we'll see.

Allow me to disagree. As I explained in http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 59#p888459 : "What is important is to upgrade to LO 4.2.x versions as they become available and NOT to upgrade to LO 4.3.x at least until 4.3.4 or 4.3.5 because those early versions are buggy. " Yes, you get new features, but you also get data loss, which is unacceptable.

Tim-int wrote:Allow me to disagree. As I explained in http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.p ... 59#p888459 : "What is important is to upgrade to LO 4.2.x versions as they become available and NOT to upgrade to LO 4.3.x at least until 4.3.4 or 4.3.5 because those early versions are buggy. " Yes, you get new features, but you also get data loss, which is unacceptable.

I think that to a considerable degree we, as Linux users, are expected to do a few more of the chores for ourselves
I think this just "goes with the territory"

AFAIK we are lacking a volunteer to maintain the gizzies that would keep LibreOffice updated.
I think this may be a mixed blessing: a bit less automatic -- and a bit more end user control. With LibreOffice the end user control may not be such a bad idea. If you get an update that doesn't work right for you -- you can back-level it and wait for the next one. I had to back level 4.2.4 but when 4.2.5 became available it was fine and i'm running that now.

the one thing i think we need in all updates that are of the download and unpack nature ( .deb updates ) -- we should have MD5 checksums for these updates. authentication should be *mandatory* for all software updates.