Linux Mint Forums

Hi,

I am wanting to install LMDE on a new system. I like tracking stable however. I am not quite sure how this can be done though now.

If I wait for the respin will I still be able to point it to stable?

Would it be better to use the 201012 version and point it to squeeze like I have done with my other systems? I need to install now and it seems like the respin is still 2-3 weeks off, since an ISO has not been submitted on the community for testing yet. If I install the 201012 version, will there be any problems?

What happens with the update packs? Whats latest and incoming? Do these things even matter if you just install and point to squeeze then apt-update from synaptic?

For me stability is paramount I have had a very stable LMDE squeeze system for a year now, no problems, but have no installed one in that time either.

Thanks

Hi Christof,

for tracking stable you should use 201012 ISO for 64bit LMDE or 201101 ISO for 32bit. Using the recent RC or the new stable
respin everyone is waiting for, would mean downgrade to stable if you want to run it. A downgrade in Debian systems
is not recommanded, can cause a lot of problems.

Latest testing sources are thought for a best as possible stable LMDE. Before updates are ported to latest, they are tested
in incoming testing.

http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewforum.php?f=186

http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewforum.php?f=187

I totally agree with Gerd50's comments!

I have posted about this elsewhere on this forum - that anyone wanting to direct LMDE at Debian Stable will only be able to do so by using the early iso's in Gerd50's post. I can think of a thousand medieval tortures I would rather go through before I would try to "downgrade" over 1000 packages in the current release to Debian Stable.

You have two choices really; use the aforementioned early iso's (and keep a copy for any re-installs) or you could install Debian Stable direct and try to "Mintify" it yourself by getting some Mint themes etc.

LMDE (any desktop) = Debian Testing base!! Anything else is your own hybrid.

Having said that, Clem et al have gone to great lengths ( as they always do) to satisfy the user base assumption of stability in Mint releases. I would think installing from the new release of LMDE and pointing your repos at "latest" alternatives is as stable a Debian Testing system as you could want without isolating yourself from ongoing LMDE development. This is a much better option going forward IMHO.

Personally, I stay aimed at "testing" because I have always believed monthly updates is too long a period between updates for a "rolling release". I also have a test install aimed at "Unstable/Sid". Neither have had breakages that were not readily fixed without re-install.

cheers,
rhodry.

Christof999 wrote:Hi,

I am wanting to install LMDE on a new system.

I like tracking stable however. I am not quite sure how this can be done though now.

For me stability is paramount I have had a very stable LMDE squeeze system for a year now, no problems, but have no installed one in that time either.

Thanks

Consider this is simpler,
Clone your stable LMDE squeeze system,
Then use it to install to New system.

Thanks for the responses.

New question, new direction.

The install went well and I did set to squeeze and did the proper updates. However I did run into a problem after the update, The mint version of firefox 5 was installed and broke Firefox so it wouldn't start. I did some reading and it now seems impossible to track squeeze as the Mint repositories will slowly get out of sync as newer packages are programmed expecting certain python packages to be present which will not be as they will not have migrated from testing to stable. So that pretty much kills my current approach. These are my current ideas.

1. Simply redo the install with the 201101 iso and immediately disable all Mint repo's and simply track debian stable repos exclusively? Why not just use debian stable? Honestly, LMDE is simply better.

2. I downloaded the 201108RC i386 respin. I have no system on the target machine and need it up and running today. So I have to install something and its going to need to run until the new year. If I successfully installed the RC can I just leave it and d/l the new packages that come out when the stable release of the respin is released? It looks like the release is a while off. As I understand it its possible to install any iso and not have to reinstall but rather just use apt-get-dist-upgrade instead. This makes me feel that using the RC would be ok, any hiccups would be fixed in the coming weeks.

Is there anyway to track stable after a 201101 install that will not lead to desyncing due to python issues later on?

Thanks again

Christof,
you found the 1st problem following the approach of setting LMDE to stable, others, as you are now aware may rise;
my advise, disable the mint repo (if stability is THE major goal for you); Firefox as you probably are aware, you can easily replace with iceweasel, the mint tools will "frozen" in a v. that you know can work with your setup;

the 201108 that you d/l is by default tracking latest, more about update-packs here so it should be a stable (or so we all try) experience;