[sf-lug] Linux Mint arduino install issue - not able to update to newer version

[Rick Moen]

Quoting Frantisek Apfelbeck (algoldor at yahoo.com):

> I will go through your article and if there is a solution to my
> problem great!

Just to briefly recap:

   Reasons why [strongly favouring distro packages for software you
   are motivated to install is A Good Thing] are detailed in my 
   editorial footnote to John Weatherwax's 2006 article, archived here:
   http://linuxmafia.com/~rick/weatherwax.html#1

Please note, the article isn't mine, but rather John Weatherwax's. My
editorial footnote _to_ John's article - what I linked to - isn't 
'a solution to your problem', but rather was something I wrote as an
addendum to John's article, when my magazine published it, to make sure
readers knew what offsetting disadvantages come along with upstream
tarballs.

As I say in that footnote and also in my upthread post yesterday, going
'upstream' is _not_ necessarily a bad idea.  Sometimes it's your best
option - it depends.  But that option always carries an inherent cost -
which was my point to you.

As my footnote also points out, there are often additional alternatives
in-between upstream tarballs and distro packages:  semi-official
ancillary package repos, backports collections, third-party packages (in
your case, .debs) maintained by individuals.  Sometimes those exist, 
other times they don't.  Those additional options may provide a third choice
that is close enough to cutting edge, and still gives you most of the
advantage of a distro package -- for software items whose distro
packages are mired in the past.

Web searching for
   arduino debs
..finds http://playground.arduino.cc/Linux/Ubuntu

Let's see, you said 'Linux Mint', but you didn't say what release (or
which DE, not that that matters much).  Current release of Linux Mint's
Ubuntub-based versions is 16 'Petra', which is built atop a Ubuntu 13.10
('Saucy Salamander) base.

The Arduino 'playground' page (URL supra) recommends that Ubuntu 12.04
and up (and thus also Linux Mint 16) users install their distro
packages, and then optionally overwrite the package-installed software
using development or nightly-build files downloaded from the arduino.cc
servers.

True, that doesn't mesh very well with use of distro package tools, for
the reasons my footnote elaborates - but at least you'll know what's
going on and can know what problems you'll be facing.