[ I sent this to debian-testing a month ago, but the mailing list ] [ doesn't exist anymore - it is not archived at http://list.debian.org/ ] [ If there is a more appropriate list for this discussion let me know. ]
The debian FAQ (/usr/share/debian/FAQ) says the following: : Packages are installed into the `testing' directory after they have undergone : some degree of testing in unstable. They must be in sync on all architectures : where they have been built and mustn't have dependencies that make them : uninstallable; they also have to have fewer release-critical bugs than the : versions currently in testing. This way, we hope that `testing' is always : close to being a release candidate. I have seen a problem with two packages that I wanted to install from testing not being installable. These were gnumeric and gnucash, so I raised bug reports about them - currently unanswered. I realise that there may be other packages that are also uninstallable, so I wrote a script that parses /var/lib/dpkg/available and lists those packages that have unmet dependencies, recommendations or suggestions for packages that are not available. The script only checks the package names, not the version numbers, so they may be more problems. The list below was compiled from the current status of debian testing as found in the following sources.list today. -------------------- sources.list -------------------- deb http://www.uk.debian.org/debian woody main deb http://www.uk.debian.org/debian woody contrib deb http://www.uk.debian.org/debian woody non-free deb http://www.uk.debian.org/debian woody non-US/main deb http://www.uk.debian.org/debian woody non-US/contrib deb http://www.uk.debian.org/debian woody non-US/non-free -------------------- sources.list -------------------- Package Relation Dependency (not available) ------- -------- -------------------------- glcpu depends on libcommonc++1 gnucash depends on libguile9 gnucash depends on guile1.4 gnucash depends on guile1.4-slib gnucash depends on libgwrapguile0 gnumeric depends on libgal4 mozilla depends on mozilla-browser mozilla depends on mozilla-mailnews roxen-ssl depends on pike-crypto sphinx2-bin depends on sphinx2-hmm-6k Package Relation Recommendation (not available) ------- -------- ------------------------------ alamin-server recommends gnokii bibletime recommends sword-dict bibletime recommends sword-comm cdrecord recommends mkisofs cjk-latex recommends freetype1-tools guile1.4-doc recommends guile1.4 ibcs-source-2.0 recommends kernel-source-2.0.36 | kernel-source-2.0.38 kernel-patch-2.4.0-ia64 recommends kernel-source-2.4.0 kernel-patch-2.4.1-ia64 recommends kernel-source-2.4.1 kernel-patch-2.4.3-arm recommends kernel-source-2.4.3 kernel-patch-2.4.4-ia64 recommends kernel-source-2.4.4 kernel-patch-2.4.5-ia64 recommends kernel-source-2.4.5 kernel-patch-2.4.5-s390 recommends kernel-source-2.4.5 mozilla recommends mozilla-psm pipsecd recommends userlink quickppp recommends pppd tpctl recommends tpctl-modules unp recommends unace webmin-ssl recommends webmin-core zope-pagetemplates recommends zope-parsedxml Package Relation Suggestion (not available) ------- -------- -------------------------- alsa-base suggests alsadriver alsa-utils suggests alsadriver alsa-utils-0.4 suggests alsadriver alsa-utils-0.5 suggests alsadriver ant suggests jmf aolserver suggests aolserver-postgres aolserver suggests openacs atool suggests bzip cbedic suggests kbedic cdrtoaster suggests mkisofs cpuburn suggests kernel-patch-badram crafty suggests craftywatcher cupsys-client suggests kdelibs3-cups cvsbook suggests cvs-doc cxterm-gb suggests intlfonts-chinese cxterm-jis suggests intlfonts-japanese dhelp suggests glimpse dstooltk suggests dstool-doc dstooltk suggests dstool e2ps suggests easypr emacs-dl-wnn suggests wnn emacspeak-ss suggests dtlk exmh suggests glimpse fidogate suggests ifcico-cm freewrl suggests xswallow ftape-util suggests ftape-module funnelweb suggests task-devel-common fweb suggests ratfor77 gap4-doc-dvi suggests gap4 gap4-doc-html suggests gap4 gap4-doc-ps suggests gap4 gcc-2.95 suggests task-devel-common glide2-bin suggests device3dfx-module gnats suggests gnats-tk gnats suggests gnatsweb gnats-user suggests gnatsweb gnome-help suggests gnome-users-guide-en gnustep-make suggests gnustep-base gobjc-2.95 suggests task-objc-devel gobjc-3.0 suggests task-objc-devel gqview suggests xv harden-tools suggests lids honyaku-el suggests honyakudamashii-server hylafax-client suggests mgetty-viewfax hylafax-server suggests mgetty iconc suggests icon-ipl icont suggests icon-ipl isdnutils suggests mgetty isdnutils suggests isdnbutton juke suggests psgplay junior-* suggests task-junior kde-i18n-* suggests task-kde kdelibs3 suggests anti-aliasing-howto kdevelop suggests sgmltools kdevelop suggests glimpse kernel-doc-2.2.13 suggests kernel-image-2.2.13 kernel-image-2.2.19-udma100-ext3 suggests kernel-doc-2.2.19-udma100-ext3 kernel-patch-2.2.18-openwall suggests kernel-source-2.2.18 kernel-patch-2.4.0-reiserfs suggests kernel-source-2.4.0 kernel-patch-int suggests kernel-source-2.2.15 kernel-patch-xfs-core suggests kernel-source-2.4.5 kernel-source-2.2.19 suggests task-tcltk-dev kernel-source-2.4.7 suggests task-tcltk-dev kernel-source-2.4.8 suggests task-tcltk-dev kernel-source-2.4.9 suggests task-tcltk-dev kmail suggests kmailplugin lib-rxtx-java suggests jdk-common libasound0.4 suggests alsadriver libasound1 suggests alsadriver libasound2 suggests alsadriver libcdk-dev suggests libcdk-example libcommons-java suggests jakarta-commons-doc libecasound7 suggests mp3-encoder libglide2 suggests device3dfx-module libglide3 suggests device3dfx-module libhonyaku-damashii-ruby suggests honyaku-damashii-server libmagick5-dev suggests freetype6-dev libnet-ldap-perl suggests libnet-socketssl-perl libqt2 suggests anti-aliasing-howto librx1-altdev suggests rx1g-dev libssrp-dev suggests netkit-rpc libvdk1-dev suggests doxygen lm-sensors suggests i2c lm-sensors suggests lm-sensors-mod lxr suggests glimpse memtest86 suggests memtest memtest86 suggests kernel-patch-badram mozilla suggests mozilla-xmlterm mozilla suggests mozilla-chatzilla mule2-canna-wnn suggests wnn mule2-wnn suggests wnn netbase suggests netkit-rpc netscape-base-4 suggests plugger ocaml-tools suggests emacs opalmod suggests oamg openacs-doc suggests openacs pgp4pine suggests pine | pine396-src povray suggests povray-manual python2-imaging-tk suggests python2-imaging-doc python2-numeric-tutorial suggests python2-imaging-doc remind suggests tcl sgml-data suggests osp slapd suggests openldap-guide spamfilter suggests spamdb speak-freely suggests xv starplot suggests starplot-data swig1.3 suggests swig1.3-doc tramp suggests mimencode user-de suggests task-german vreng suggests wbd xftp suggests archie zmailer suggests mail-user-agent -- Andrew. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Andrew M. Bishop [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.gedanken.demon.co.uk/