@Dar-es-Salaam
Yes Please rhodry I would appreciate it if you have the time.
OK here we go:
Start this work after a fresh install of LMDE latest iso.
Note: all this work is done as superuser in the /etc/apt folder using a terminal and nano editor.
Make a backup copy of any file you change - you have been warned!!
If any files do not exist, create them.
You are going to store more repository data and so should increase the size of the "apt" cache.
Use sudo to add this line (note semi-colon at end required)
to /etc/apt/apt.conf.
Setup your sources.list file so that it looks like:
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## Linuxmint standard
deb http://packages.linuxmint.com/ debian main upstream import
deb http://debian.linuxmint.com/latest testing main contrib non-free
deb http://debian.linuxmint.com/latest/security testing/updates main contrib non-free
deb http://debian.linuxmint.com/latest/multimedia testing main non-free
## Debian Sid/Unstable
deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ unstable main contrib non-free
deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org unstable main non-free
then, edit /etc/apt/preferences to look like this:
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Package: *
Pin: release o=linuxmint
Pin-Priority: 700
Package: *
Pin: origin packages.linuxmint.com
Pin-Priority: 700
Package: *
Pin: release a=testing
Pin-Priority: 500
Package: *
Pin: release a=unstable
Pin-Priority: 300
At terminal prompt do
$ sudo apt-get update
That's it for setup. You now have standard LMDE-Latest plus access to applications from Debian Unstable.
To test this setup, run the following command at a terminal prompt:
$ apt-cache policy iceweasel
As I mentioned, I don't have direct access to Mint whilst writing this so I can't show you the output; but, you should get a list of possible entries for the Iceweasel package. You should see the Mint package , v5.0.6 I think, has highest priority but Unstable should have v8.0 or so. This is how you check available versions and the installed version.
There are two ways to get a package from Unstable. The 1st tries to install the package from Unstable but rely on dependencies already in Latest. This would be
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$ sudo apt-get install <package>/unstable; eg sudo apt-get install iceweasel/unstable
Debian Testing (Latest) & Debian Unstable are fairly close so this may work. Apt will tell you why if it will not - invariably a missing dependency. This is safer because it will not try to drag in dependencies from Unstable. However, in my experience, rarely works well.
The other form of the command to get a package from Unstable is
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sudo apt-get -t unstable install <package>; eg sudo apt-get -t unstable install iceweasel
This will install the Unstable version of the package, and
try to meet any dependencies from Unstable. This may produce better results. However,
be careful to watch what is being installed and/or removed by this method. If unsure, stop and come here to ask first!
Upgrading
This version of 'pinning' will keep you linked to Latest whilst allowing individual packages from above. The priority numbers in /etc/apt/preferences stop "dist-upgrade" trying to upgrade your whole system to Unstable.
Even though Mint Upgrade will still work with this change, it will throw an error message at you about repos. I find it better to just do upgrades once or twice a week from a terminal command line. Remember a rolling release is designed to roll along. You should not do bulky updates if you can help it! I used
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$ sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade && sudo apt-get dist-upgrade
At the moment though, with Latest in apparent hiatus, this still will not give you many more updates, but it will allow you to get updated individual packages.
hope this helps,
rhodry.
disclaimer: standard Debian disclaimer - You break it, you get to play with the pieces and we get to laugh at you!!
Life isn't about waiting for the storm to pass...
it's about learning to dance in the rain.
I have one "sort of" LMDE left whereby I used an LMDE-Xfce install as a starting point but updated it to run against sid/unstable only. I guess it is still sort of "Minty Sid" ?!