No updates?

[amandus]

I have installed package 3 and changed my repositories to them that was written in the how to, but now I haven´t any updates for a couple of weeks why? Earlier it was updates almost every day.

[ElderDryas]

amandus:

This most likely because changing the sources.list to what the release notes indicated will give you the "latest" repos, as opposed to the earlier repos (now incoming). Latest repos (a misnomer to be sure) are updated monthly-ish so the LM team can make sure they won't break anything, while the incoming repos are updated as the packages come in from debian.

[posco]

Sorry to jump on this thread, but it is related.

I have my sources.list pointing at the incoming repos, but haven't had any updates this month. Are the ones I have correct?

Code: Select all

deb http://packages.linuxmint.com/ debian main upstream import backport romeo
deb-src http://packages.linuxmint.com/ debian main upstream import backport romeo #Added by software-properties
deb http://debian.linuxmint.com/incoming testing main contrib non-free
deb http://debian.linuxmint.com/incoming/security testing/updates main contrib non-free 
deb http://debian.linuxmint.com/incoming/multimedia testing main non-free

[asymmetros]

Right now, Clem is working on Mint 12.
My guess is that you have to wait for a couple weeks (or more) for the next update pack to come

[misGnomer]

I thought the "latest" repos were starting to be a little, well, late, but "incoming" has dried up as well?

I suppose it's ok, but perhaps the change in policy could be communicated more clearly. I also thought that something was wrong with my settings or sources.list.

[Davarish]

Hey guys! I know we are by far less in numbers than the Ubuntu Mint users and that the team is working on that right now but I would just like to ask a question. When are we going to see any updates? I had none since...3 weeks ago I think! Are we going to see any updates any time soon? 1 week? 2 days? 3 months? When? Thanks in advance

[kruijf]

On the blog Clem tells us why there is no UP4 yet:

@All (about LMDE): We’re holding the updates on LMDE at the moment for two reasons: X11 is broken upstream and Debian is in the process of updating Gnome to version 3 in testing. When Gnome 3.2 and X11 are healthy in Debian testing we’ll release a new update pack along with MATE packages and MGSE for LMDE.

http://blog.linuxmint.com/?p=1851

[Davarish]

So we may not take any new updates for 2-3 months right? That is wonderful!

[kruijf]

I dont think we must wait 2-3 months.
After Lisa (mint 12) everything whill be allright, when the team solve the problems.

[asymmetros]

Personally, i am waiting (after Lisa of course) an official announcement regarding the LMDE editions in general. The initial plan was for monthly updates. The delay of pack-4 is due to special reasons, thus means in the future, the upgrades will flow in a regular manner? Or a different upgrading scheme (not frequent updates) will be officialy introduced? The latter undermines the "mint repos" -more users will go then for testing repos instead.

[mikekgr]

Hello guys,
I am in the same boat here enjoining LMDE and having "latest" at repository. The problem is well known til today 05 Dec 2011 we have not updates and we are far behind from the "current stage" of testing.
Do any body know or have any roadmap when we catch testing current? Please let me know.

Best Regards,
Mike Kranidis

[KBD47]

I may be alone in this but stability means more to me than quick updates. I'd rather my system not be broken, so I will happily wait a month or two if it means I get to keep a system I don't have to fix. Right now it seems Mint Debian is more of cyclical release. Downloading the Mint Debian Stable version right now, as mentioned in an earlier post. I want to check it out.
KBD47
OK, I tried out that earlier Mint Debian version that can be set to Stable repositories. If it wasn't for the terrible font rendering I would carve out space on my hard drive for it, but my eyes are too old for anything but the best font rendering. LMDX looks very good. Running it pointed at Latest. Really like it.

[endjuser]

Basically, I like the idea of safe-to-install update packs, because it tames Debian Testing. I cannot afford breakages on my notebook computer, because I require it to work on a daily basis.

However, we happen to be more than 2 months without updates - and thus without security updates. Heading over to Debian's security tracker, there is an number of security bugs, even some high-urgency bugs http://security-tracker.debian.org/trac ... _urgency=1, among them several fixed Chromium bugs, which didn't make it into my LMDE, because it won't update.

That makes me wonder, whether LMDE's update packs are a suitable concept. Or is it simply out of the Mint team' capacity to update LMDE and push out the flagship release Mint 12? Whatever the reason is, not fixing a security hole in a fairly popular web browser is toxic.

[KBD47]

I'm sort of curious why the security updates could not be let through while the other software updates are more carefully scrutinized. I realize security updates can also break a computer, but probably not like some of the software updates. Just wondering.
KBD47

[asymmetros]

I'm sort of curious why the security updates could not be let through while the other software updates are more carefully scrutinized. I realize security updates can also break a computer, but probably not like some of the software updates. Just wondering.
KBD47

Even Debian Stable gets security updates when it is needed. LMDE right now is more frozen than Squeeze
Regarding Testing, when a fixed version of a package is provided by it's maintainers, it reaches testing relatively fast.

...if this process is too slow, providing fixed packages built against testing in the testing-security apt repository:
deb http://security.debian.org testing/updates main contrib non-free

( http://secure-testing-master.debian.net/ )

Let's have the following scenario: package X has a security hole. A new version, say X2, solves that problem. But maybe, that version requires a new library from Testing, not available in Mint Latest repos.
Or_ let's say that X (and a completely different program, let's say Y), both rely on a library Z. X2 is the new version, solving the security problem, buy it relies in Z2 (Z2 successor). But Y does not work at all with Z2, thus, installation of Z2 removes Y. (Y2 is stuck in testing > not in Mint's repos).
These are only some thoughts. The fact is, that some security fixes are coming straight from testing. So, unless than frequent updates, you cannot have all those "fixes".

[asermax]

I don't really know why Mint devs aren't letting pass over to incoming some security updates, or even any package not related to gnome3 or gtk3 (since this seems to be the reason of the updates dry up). Maybe they don't got time to manage the update-packs right now, but they should give us some further explanation, beyond the gnome thingie.

Anyway, we always can point or repositories to testing without problem; eventually incomming gonna get there, right?
And if you are really aware of having the latest version of a specific app, you can search for that application ppa.
Those packages are built for ubuntu but work on debian just fine, at least most of them.

These are the one i'm pointing to right now:
Chromium - https://launchpad.net/~chromium-daily/+archive/stable
Docky - https://launchpad.net/~docky-core/+archive/stableT

[endjuser]

Yeah, but there's a principal question: Why must I compile a program's new version from source or add a 3rd party repo, when everything is already fixed upstream?

When I choose a distribution, I do it mostly because I want to rely on their trusted and tested repos. With Debian, I get a large software base. There are lots of package maintainers doing a great job for many years. I chose Mint, because they offer a polished Debian Testing, which I like. Plus, the Update Packs seemed to make sense. But they don't, if security is undermined.

[asymmetros]

Adding ppa's and ubuntu-ish staff in a Debian installation is not a good idea, cause there is a serious possibility that eventually, you ll end up with a damaged system. It is much safer if you forget about Mint's update packs and change your repos to testing. After all, that was the default option for LMDE -till the update packs introduction.
But if you do not like the idea of running a rolling release, keep the "latest" repos but be aware that you won' have updates for 2, 3, 4 ,5, 6 monhts- no one knows the frequency.

[asermax]

Adding ppa's and ubuntu-ish staff in a Debian installation is not a good idea, cause there is a serious possibility that eventually, you ll end up with a damaged system.

There's probably a big chance that using a ppa will broke the application you are updating from there, but i don't know about damaging the entire system. At least if the application is a high-level app that doesn't tries to install shared libraries (that may break other programs) or touch important system files.
And if it breaks for any reason, you only have to uninstall it and go back to your distro repository.

Anyway, i may be risking a little of my system stability here, but i prefer having the latest versions of these apps since they work better and faster at least for me xD
Is just a matter of taste.

[endjuser]

It is much safer if you forget about Mint's update packs and change your repos to testing. After all, that was the default option for LMDE -till the update packs introduction.

That "default" makes LMDE just a rebranded Debian Testing with preinstalled multimedia codecs. That's nice, but IMHO not enough to justify a switch to LMDE.

I switched to LMDE when they introduced the Update Packs. There are times when Testing is bound to break (think of the Gnome 2/3 switch or after a freeze, when new packages from Unstable start flooding in). That's where Update Packs come to the rescue. I think the concept has the potential to lure more people to LMDE, even unexperienced users.

However, these users are fooled when looking at the Mintupdate panel icon showing a green sign in a shield signaling: Your system is up-to-date. It is not. The security is compromised.

But if you do not like the idea of running a rolling release, keep the "latest" repos

I like the idea of a rolling release. That's not the point.