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

[Paul Zander]

I just looked up more than 20 different apps.   The versions installed, in Stretch and in Buster.  In some cases they are all the same.  In some cases the installed is a little older.

BUT there were a few "more interesting".  For example, GIMP.  The installed version is the same as testing and newer than stable.   The file date on /usr/bin/gimp is March 28.  That might have been the last time I did an `apt-get update`
The real outlier is Firefox.  I  Installed       stable|stretch   testing|buster  45.8               52.8.1             52.8.1
My present guess is that my sources.list file really was doing "testing", but something is amiss with Firefox. I know I have downloaded and added SeaMonkey without using apt-get.
Possible fix: 
#apt-get update
#apt-get remove firefox#apt-get install firefox


      From: Rick Moen <rick at linuxmafia.com>
 To: conspire at linuxmafia.com 
 Sent: Thursday, June 21, 2018 9:43 PM
 Subject: Re: [conspire] How to update packages when Deb is behind?
   
Forgot to add:

> But, my point is, once you have refreshed your system's package catalogues,
> you can then use Debian package to tools to query what is _now_
> available, and what would _now_ happen if you were to command
> installation of something.
> 
> Among other things, apt-get includes this option:
>    -s, --simulate, --just-print, --dry-run, --recon, --no-act

Including that, e.g., saying 'apt-get -s install somepackagename' 
would thus qualify as maximally cautious, _but_ in practice, in my
experience, isn't _very_ necessary (or useful), even _if_ you didn't
bother to do 'apt-cache search somepackagename' or equivalent.  

Why?  Because _if_ the installation of the available remote version of
package somepackagename is going to drag in any dependencies you didn't 
explicitly state on the apt-get command line, then apt-get will tell 
you what it's proposing to do and stop at a 'y/N' confirmation prompt to
ask your explicit OK.  In other words, a certain amount of conservative
attitude (as to dependency-resolution actions that might come as a
surprise) is built right into apt-get, anyway.

That having been said, doing the dry-run thing certainly _does_
completely avert the possibility of upgrade surprises.

(OTOH, one could adopt the viewpoint that when you type 'apt-get nstall
somepackagename', you understand that this means fetch and then install
-- a subtask that apt-get implements by calling dpkg -- the latest repo
packaging of somepackagename, and apt-get should Just Bloody Well Do It.)

Adjust your local degree of paranoia to suit.


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