It's two-thousand-goddamn-thirteen: Why the crap are we manually screwing around with arcane instructions, some arbitrary config file, obtuse meaningless substitute names for the real fucking version number, and the whole disabled-by-default "backports" bullshit, all just to install a vaguely recent version of some program or lib, that's already been backported (really? Shit needs to be ported from Debian to Debian?!?) to whatever version of Debian we're using? What the fuck is this, 90's Slackware?
This is how sane shit works:
% sudo apt-get install libevent2 Ok boss, done.
Or even this:
% sudo apt-get install libevent2 ERROR: That's only available in the 'backports' repo which is disabled by default. You must use the flag '--backports' to install software from the 'backports' repo. % sudo apt-get install libevent2 --backports Ok boss, done.
(I've been writing software nearly all my life and I can tell you right now there is no technical reason why that can't work.)
On the other hand, this is how obtuse moronic bullshit works:
% sudo apt-get install libevent2 'libevent2'? Never heard of it. % sudo apt-get install libevent Installing some useless ancient version...done % Gee, thanks error: Piss off % websearch "how to install libevent2 on debian" Results: Whole bunch of useless crap and some vague buried mention of needing some "backports". % websearch "how to use backports on debian" Results: Bunch of crap and some mention of adding "deb http://YOURMIRROR.debian.org/debian-backports squeeze-backports(-sloppy) main" to some 'sources.list' file. If you're lucky it tells you where fuck 'sources.list' actually is. % gksudo kate /etc/apt/sources.list > /dev/null 2> /dev/null & (Isn't launching a GUI program from the Unix cmdline fun? Almost makes Windows look good. Sort of...) % sudo apt-get update Barf. You were clever enough to guess what YOURMIRROR was supposed to be changed to by blindly copy-pasting from some other random line in the same file, but I'm still gonna crap out for you with unhelpful errors anyway. % remove the "(-sloppy)" bullshit from the new line, because by dumb luck I just happen to know that doesn't belong there. Ok. % sudo apt-get update Could not resolve 'ftp.us.debian.org' (Fucking SERIOUSLY?!?! Yes, I really got that.) % sudo apt-get update (Partially works this time.) % sudo apt-get install libevent2 Never heard of it. % sudo apt-get install libevent2-dev Never heard of it. % sudo aptitude update Sure dude, whatever I guess... % sudo aptitude install libevent2 Never heard of it. % sudo aptitude install libevent2-dev Never heard of it. % websearch "It didn't fucking work, asshole!" Ehh, ok, well what version of Debian you using? % debian 6 Never heard of Debian 6 % What the fuck, you stupid...&*(@#$&^*(?!? Never heard of Debian 6. Please enter the name of some random-fuck Toy Story character instead. % ugh...fine...ummm, a=1, b=2...e=5... And no cheating by using any sane ordering, we've made sure that won't work, either. % FUCK YOU error: command is unrelated to Toy Story. Go screw off and come back when you care more about Pixar. % post-rant "Debian's Package System is Shit..."
Guess which of the above most closely resembles Debian.
It's no &*$^@# wonder that MS-slave corporate suits are such douchebag snobs towards Unix.
If there is already active work in progress at fixing this mess, then sincerely: KUDOS!
4 comments for "Debian's Package System is Shit"
heh, yeah...debian's binary packages are unmaintained..so you have pretty much have to build from source to have the latest version. apt-get has some option to do that (build package and it's dependencies), i don't recall offhand, though, as i usually prefer to build from autotools rather than some package system.
to locate the correct package name to install with you have to use apt-cache to search the index (and update it as well). yum is a little bit friendlier since the functionality that you're asking for is mostly available from just one binary. but yeah, adding repos is pretty clumsy..
you should check out netbsd's pkgsrc. i'm a huge fan of ports, pkgsrc is pretty close only works under netbsd. it's kind of nice to sync your "repository" with cvs (despite it being cvs), and locating packages via a directory list.
Huh, I guess, I was able to add repository with a command on Mint. Then aptitude update and it worked.
@Kagamin: Nice. Do you recall what the command was? Since I posted this, I've actually moved to Mint for my desktop linux uses. (Although if it's in Mint, I'd imagine it's probably in Debian now too, even if only the testing branch.)
That's one of the nice things I've noticed about Linux: If you notice a problem, chances are it'll get fixed sooner or later. A nice change from the last few versions of Windows: If I *like* something, chances are MS will remove it sooner or later ;)
An example of installation from ppa:
http://www.webupd8.org/2012/04/zukitwo-zukini-holo-theme-packs-updated.html
Hmm... maybe it works only for ppa's?