Why are my applications not the latest possible version?

[LordCamui]

i downloaded the package, and i think i have a portable version of firefox..it seems to work for now, so i will not complain about it..

*just now goes to read the appointed article*

[escherplex]

And while you're at it, you may want to update Thunderbird to version 6. It's simple enough and the new release seems to function without any problems in both Mint 11 and Ubuntu 11.04.

Open a terminal screen then enter (one at a time, and allow each to complete before entering the next):

$ sudo add-apt-repository ppa:mozillateam/thunderbird-stable

$ sudo apt-get update

$ sudo apt-get install thunderbird

[av8r0023]

Hey guys and gals. I goofed up pretty bad.

I didn't want to wait for the new firefox 8 to come out as a LM update, so I decided to to download FF8 from www.getfirefox.com. I uncompressed the file and stuck it in /usr/local/bin and then directed the menu application launcher and firefox.desktop config file (in usr/share/applications/) to point to /usr/local/bin/firefox-8.0/firefox

What I didn't realize is that my mint-meta-codecs and mint-flashplugin don't work when I open up FF8. So I have no flash player installed. Not a very handy way to browse the web. I didn't create a backup copy of firefox.desktop and the launcher command (I know, I know). The only line I edited in firefox.desktop was Exec=

Now that Mint Update is showing FF8 as an available update, I just need to get back to the Linux Mint approved Firefox so I can update. Can someone please look up this information in their system for me? I really don't want to have to reinstall Linux Mint for something so small.

I'm running Linux Mint 11 64-bit.

[av8r0023]

Nevermind, I installed the latest version of Firefox using Mint Update and the problem fixed itself.

[tek_heretik]

As I told Kaye the other day though, if we could just get people to search and read before asking the same questions over and over.

Well, if you know/knew where the answer is, why didn't you post the link to the proper thread/answer? Seems to me would've saved a lot new thread space.

[tek_heretik]

Lots of interesting settings in it and you can add the stable Firefox repository.

[ChickenPie4Tea]

Why is this being turned into a Firefox thread.

I am a newbie to Linux and so far I get the feeling that as far as software goes you get left behind much quicker than you do on windows. Using XP is was ages before some of you favourite software would no longer work with it.
I installed Mint 10 couple of weeks ago as I read it was stable and didn't want to test Mint 11 or 12.
Quickly though it seems with software my Mint version is way out of date and I cant get later software.
For example gedit is now at about ver. 3+ but it says that it requires GTK 3 so as Mint 10 has GTK 2 I cant update and get later versions of gedit any more. This rarely happended to me using windows xp.

[ZenBeam]

I agree that the OP is a good explanation of what the problem is, but I guess I don't agree that that first post is a good explanation of what to do about it. My problem with it is that the line
once you hear of the new version, you go to their website, download and install it
hides a great deal of complexity. For example, Thunderbird just told me it will be obsolete in nine days. I can do the "go to their website, download" part just fine. I have no idea how to then install it, without losing all my old email, or breaking my account settings. Searching for "thunderbird linux update repositories", one of the links is to
http://forums.linuxmint.com/viewtopic.php?f=197&t=86176 with nine steps, and I'm not even sure if I should follow them, because I don't know what LMDE means.

The Thunderbird page is no help, it offers me the download, but no instructions on how to install it over an existing installation. Do I just extract the directory? Maybe it will "just work". Maybe it will screw everything up.

Reading through the thread, I see posts here and there directing people to install repositories (e.g. for Firefox or Thunderbird). Perhaps the directions for adding repositories (and how to find out what those repositories are) could be added. (That's assuming adding the repositories is safe.)

[mastablasta]

repositories are safe.

however to me this is still wrong way. the new version of applicaitons should be offered on updates. ok Ubuntu has upgrade, but that upgrades the whole OS not just the apps.

why should it be offered? well for one thing they often have bug fixes and new important features and sometimes they break backwards compatibility. then you end up with a bunhc of PPA 8added repositories) just so you can keep up with user that is on windows. i had i think sigil that i loaded on windows first only to find linux (ubuntu 10.10) has an older version that is not compatible with new. new one can read old version but old can't read new files. so i added a PPA. i have plenty apps set like that.

furthermore these applicaitons (such as new mozillas, chromes...) are already tested (they go from alhpa, beta, rc to stable) and considered stable. why they need to be re-tested and rebranded as enough stable to be put in the repositories for the next OS version again? thi sis soethgin i can't get my mind arround. linux updater should always offer latest stable versions of applicaitons. instead i believe it actually only offers patches (security mostly) of the same version of software.

[awolf]

You can choose to install only select updates if you want using the update manager or synaptic package manager. You could even search in synaptic for specific apps if you want to select them for updating.

[ChickenPie4Tea]

On the same topic, in general . . . this is another reason why a Mint Debian with a 'rolling release' makes sense.
This would be good, for those that want to stay updated in; all Apps, to include the Repositories and the Linux Kernel.

A Mint Debian with a rolling release makes a great idea. Daily, weekly or monthly updates/upgrades ... works for me.

I couldn't agree more - I have just switched to Mint Debian for that reason - I had been using Mint 10 and was very happy with it But I couldn't get some of the later software - one of the things I dont like about LInux compared to windows - you get left behind too quickly - so thank god for rolling releases.

[dedanna1029]

Hi,

I'm on Linux Mint 12, and noticed the repos have version 0.7.1 of Clementine Player. This version is very boggy (not buggy), and is a resource hog on my netbook. I'd like to go version 1.0.1, but I've tried two installers from here (the Clementine downloads list), the one for Ubuntu Precise, and the Debian Squeeze. Both say they're missing dependency libcdio13, which is not in the repos. The Debian Squeeze one not surprisingly says it's also missing libimobiledevice1 (>= 0.9.7) (the version in the repos is libimobiledevice2, it's not accepting that version).

Any clue for what I can do? I have several reasons I'd like to update Clementine to the latest version, and I have no desire to update Linux Mint to 13 right now.

Thanks.

Edit: Finally got it with the oneiric download, but this still begs the question as to why a very behind version of Clementine Player is in the repos, with seemingly no plans to update it.

[aes2011]

...
furthermore these applicaitons (such as new mozillas, chromes...) are already tested (they go from alhpa, beta, rc to stable) and considered stable. why they need to be re-tested and rebranded as enough stable to be put in the repositories for the next OS version again? thi sis soethgin i can't get my mind arround. linux updater should always offer latest stable versions of applicaitons. instead i believe it actually only offers patches (security mostly) of the same version of software.

As far as Firefox goes, the one thing I would miss by getting Firefox direct from Mozilla is the automatic Apparmor protection. (I could learn to make my own Apparmor profile but I'm not confident.)

[webguy64]

I've been wondering why I still have Chromium 18, when 19 or even 20 is out

[marko_s]

I've been wondering why I still have Chromium 18, when 19 or even 20 is out

I'm also running the 18 version of Chromium. I installed the Google repository for Chrome and it seems to be update nicely, Firefox is version 13.0.1 (which is the latest stable version AFAIK), but Chromium seems to be stuck in a way older version. 19 came out last February... I looked at the Chromium PPA at Launchpad (can't remember if it was the "stable" or "daily" PPA), and it also seemed to have the same 18 version as I have like it hadn't been updated in ages. So where does one get the newer Chromium?

EDIT:

Yeah, the Chromium "daily" PPA seems to be broken:

http://askubuntu.com/questions/105102/d ... ld-anymore

... and the rest of the Launchpad Chromium PPAs ("beta", "dev", "stable") also have nothing newer than the version 18. So definitely something broken there, and has been a long time

END EDIT

Also, I haven't had luck so far adding any Launchpad PPAs to Mint 13. They just refuse to work (probably because they are tailored for Ubuntu systems?).

[vrkalak]

But I couldn't get some of the later software - one of the things I dont like about LInux compared to windows - you get left behind too quickly.

Come on, guys . . . Windows XP was updated 3 times in 14 years. How was that better?

Mint/Ubuntu gets a 'total update/upgrade every 6 months' - or you can update it, manually, whenever you want.

Also, the Apps/Programs and Software are all independent of the OS ... they each update separately.
You can add the newest Launchpad PPA Repros to your /sources.list ... or let the OS update them to the latest 'stable' version, when the Distro Devs, Maintainers and Testers find them to be stable enough.

An App being released as stable, does not make it stable ... a lot of (extra, behind the scenes) work goes into 'testing' each and every App. before it is released into the OS-distros repros.

[Lnx_User1]

So, with working with a brand new fresh install of Linux Mint 13 if the installer/LiveCD from the website is not completely up to date from nose to tails then when you install and run you are going to be prompted by Update Manager to update and install certain packages. Which is what happened on my fresh install. However Update Manager seems faulty in it's execution in that it eventually fails to download items from whatever repository it is pulling from, you get some and not others. Additionally I've received notices that installing certain packages are unauthenticated and could potentially allow someone to have a field day with my system (stated with an exclamation mark no less) on packages that Updated Manager deemed trusted and safe to install. I've also had Update Manager, upon failing downloads (hash mash mis match errors and such) completely interfere with my wifi connection making it unusable for anything else. If I try and reboot my wifi connection via reconnecting my wifi dongle my system completely crashes down to a screen full of txt. Finally, by numerous attempts to receive and install packages via Update Manager I somehow managed to get broken dependencies requiring reinstallation of core files.

For any new user coming to Linux via Linux Mint all this trouble caused simply trying to update their system via Update Manager, only downloading and installing items suggested and deemed safe by Update Manager, well...Doesn't actually encourage the use of Linux as a computer operating system. I can only image the potential destructiveness that can be caused trying to update anything outside of what Update Manager has suggested and deemed safe.

[gfarfanp]

I came from Fedora (sad what they are doing with that distro, a lot of people is upset because the unstability of Gnome 3, changes in Nautilus, etc, and now the total recreation of Anaconda, that was the final straw for me ), so I 'm fine with the "bleeding edge", means, I search for the apps if I needed them up to date and if necessary, I download the sources and compile them. I also understand when incompatibilities arise and I try to find solutions so I always ending in the end fixing whatever happen (or just deleting the app that's not working ). For a newbie coming from MS Windows, Mint whit his not-up-to-date repositories look strange and not friendly (and that "friendliness" is what they were so much used to), specially if they are force to assimilate by brute force repositories-sources-ppa's-apt/apt-get and others commands (OMG! CLI in a terminal emulation for a MS Windows user!) and also the old apt vs rpm vs whatever method of installation the author(s) of the app use (classic example was Adobe Flash, that show Yum/rpm or the binaries in a tar.gz file). That's a old question, right? why is not a unique and only software installation manager for all Linuxes?

[theo1358]

I don't think we're getting a standard package manager any time soon There's too much argument between people who prefer deb vs rpm (although RPM is the "official" format according to LSB) People who want faster updates should just switch to rolling release distros.

[rambo919]

And people wonder why the "year of Linux" never happens. Because of this windows gives people more freedom in a sick twisted way And of course there is Linux's absolute dependency of internet for installing anything including system updates which on windows autopatcher mostly saves locally just fine. Some of us do not have the luxury of fast abundant (or stable) internet like our American and European counterparts and have to store everything needed to get up and running completely offline if need be.

As someone coming from the windows way of doing things this culture of:
A- Pick a LTS and remain in semi-obscurity for x amount of years
B- Being forced to upgrade the whole system just to get new versions of software.
annoys me greatly...

I would much have preferred a option to pick a LTS and upgrade my software as needed without fear of breaking something similar to the windows way. Yes windows is reliant on service packs but that has never once broken my system the way I keep seeing upgrading does for some people with mint and it does not throw away software. I can see the sense in putting non-technical or new people in padded rooms like this but I for one have no wish to in the future having to choose between being treated like a child or thrown into the deep end.

Just my Linux virgin 2 cents.