> I definitely object to saying that kind of thing anywhere near the sections > for total newbies (unofficial repositories can break their systems), but > yes, a link to apt-get.org should be added in a few places.
Since this wishlist-item was submitted in response to a mail I wrote, let me clarify, what I had in mind: The link in question is explicitely intended for total newbies, or even for people merily considering to switch to debian in the future. Especially for the latter, information like "yeah, you can get KDE 3.x for debian" may be very important. It's not of much use for anybody else, since people that have been around for some time tend to know apt-get.org, and even if they don't, they will know where to find and how to use unofficial repositories. Of course your objection is very reasonable. Let me explain, how I think this could/should be done: Instead of linking to apt-get.org directly, link to a new page "Using unofficial repositories". That page would contain the following sections: - You-can-break-you-system-warning. Explaining the risks involved in using unofficial repositories, explaining the typical reasons why software is not (yet) included in the official dists. - Where to get further information and support for unofficial repositories. Pointing to the various user-lists. - How to add unofficial repositories to your apt-sources, how to get rid of them, how to back up the list of your current packages before you start screwing up your system. - A link to apt-get.org - A section "so I screwed up my system, now what?", linking to some info on resolving broken dependencies and the like. I think a page like this would be valueable in it's own right. Keep it away from the sections for total newbies, until you feel it contains enough information for those newbies to be able to assess the risks of using unofficial repositories and to be able to reach an educated decision on whether it's worth to gamble their upgrade-paths for some latest features. Hope this makes some sense now. Thomas
