[conspire] How to update packages when Deb is behind?

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Paul Zander (paulz at ieee.org):

> root at PZ01:/etc# cat debian_version
> buster/sid
> root at PZ01:/etc#

Um..., your system thinks it is Debian 9 'buster', which is currently
the Debian-testing track, not the Debian-stable track.  

> Apparently I installed from CD in 2015 and updated sources.list, but
> missed the other files.

If you used a conventional Official Debian installer disc, that would
have set you to track Debian-stable initially.  So, I'm wondering what
has happened and what has changed, since then.   E.g., the
two-active-line sources.list file was _part_ of the contents (apt
sources) that would have been appropriate for a Debian-testing system.

What you're describing _could_ have been caused by first doing a default
Debian installation back in 2015, then a short while later someone
editing /etc/apt/sources.list to shift to the Debian-testing track but
doing an incomplete job of that, and then for whatever reason few or no
package update operations occurring over the last few years.  

The latter element would account for your package versions remaining
back in bygone days despite the sources.list contents.  You tell me: 
Is this a system on which you haven't done normal package operations
like...

  apt-get update
  apt-get dist-upgrade

...in quite a long time?


Also, before I make any suggestions for remedying this situation, do you
use a Desktop Environment (e.g., GNOME3) on this system?  If so, which?