Installing non-esr versions of software

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LMDE-Newbie
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Installing non-esr versions of software

Post by LMDE-Newbie »

Hello,

on LMDE 4, is there a way to get the latest versions of different programs (through apt, that is)?
I would like to use the newest Firefox 88 instead of 78.10.0esr or Inkscape 1.0.2 instead of 0.92.4, to name just two examples?
I'm still pretty new to Linux and all I found out that apt is configured to get esr versions, but is there a way to change this?

Thanks a lot in advance.
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sdibaja
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Re: Installing non-esr versions of software

Post by sdibaja »

LMDE-Newbie wrote: Sat Apr 24, 2021 9:23 am Hello,

on LMDE 4, is there a way to get the latest versions of different programs (through apt, that is)?
I would like to use the newest Firefox 88 instead of 78.10.0esr or Inkscape 1.0.2 instead of 0.92.4, to name just two examples?
I'm still pretty new to Linux and all I found out that apt is configured to get esr versions, but is there a way to change this?

Thanks a lot in advance.
yes and no

disclaimer: I am a Debian user, not LMDE... but it is kinda the same
LMDE uses "apt pining" that forces "Preferred" sources, not actual Debian.
reference: https://wiki.debian.org/es/AptPreferences

two places to look:
/etc/apt/preferences.d
/etc/apt/sources.list.d
read what those files you have in the above folders...

1. If you really want Just Some of the very latest packages that is the approved method.
There may be conflicts!

2. If you want to use all of the Very Latest (vetted) try Debain Sid
reference: https://wiki.debian.org/DebianUnstable

*both Will cause paper cuts, and possibly total Bork.
Not for daily use!

Enjoy!
Peter
Mate desktop https://wiki.debian.org/MATE
Debian GNU/Linux operating system: https://www.debian.org/download
LMDE-Newbie
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Re: Installing non-esr versions of software

Post by LMDE-Newbie »

Thanks for your reply, and sorry for my late answer (I expected to get an email, oops).
I am glad that it's possible to do this. I'll definitely look into this as soon as I have time.
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axisofevil
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Re: Installing non-esr versions of software

Post by axisofevil »

You should only load non-stable packages if you have a definite reason to do so.

Just doing it to have the latest version isn't really a valid reason.
LMDE-Newbie
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Re: Installing non-esr versions of software

Post by LMDE-Newbie »

Oh OK, is there another way then to get newer versions, perhaps other packet managers? With many programs, I really don't want to have to do without the features of new versions.
But using the installers from say the Inkscape-website doesn't really seem like the Linux way of doing this to me (more like what I'd do on Windows).
Aztaroth
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Re: Installing non-esr versions of software

Post by Aztaroth »

LMDE-Newbie wrote: Tue Apr 27, 2021 12:06 pm Oh OK, is there another way then to get newer versions, perhaps other packet managers? With many programs, I really don't want to have to do without the features of new versions.
But using the installers from say the Inkscape-website doesn't really seem like the Linux way of doing this to me (more like what I'd do on Windows).
Flatpaks seem to be made for you : in the software manager, click on Flatpak, then type the first letters of the app you're looking for in the search bar and check if the version suits your needs before installing.
Some principles however :
- flatpaks are supposed to be sandboxed meaning they're installed with all the dependencies they need and don't use system libraries. So, a flatpak will use far more space on a disk than the normal app, but if you've plenty of space...
- flatpaks are updated automatically unless you forbid it, so you'll get the last version as soon as it is released. The reverse of the medal is that if the new version is buggy, you'll get the bugs quickly too.
- last but not least, you'll find people claiming flatpaks are huge security issues and better hell than flatpaks, others think they're the future because everything to run fine is delivered in the pack. Make up your mind before using it (make a web research associating flatpak and security)
Personally, I only use flatpaks for major apps like LO, Gimp, VLC (I think Inkscape, which I don't know, should be one too). Never had a problem...
dual boot LMDE4 (mostly) + LM19.3 Cinnamon (sometimes)
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Re: Installing non-esr versions of software

Post by LMDE-Newbie »

Thank you Aztaroth, your answer pretty much describes what I ended up doing :)
For apps that I wanted the latest versions of, I installed the flatpak.
Except for Firefox, I had some issues with the flatpak version, so I then installed the .deb package instead, which also seems to work flawlessly.

Thanks also for explaining the concept more in depth, I only knew of the concepts sporadically, so it is good to have an explanation.
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