Hi, I've been running for a while with only testing and unstable in my sources.list with a modified preferences[1] file, and thought to add stable just to see which packages I might get from stable when I install new packages...
Here's a patch[2] that shows the changes made the my sources.list file. Now, with these changes, it is reinstalling shellutils and textutils which I have uninstalled because they're just psudo-packages in testing. But after I let it be installed, and try to remove the packages, it thinks they're required[3] for a working system (which they're not anymore in testing...) just like they were in stable. This doesn't look right. Did I miss some setting to get this correctly, or did I find a bug? [1] package: * pin: release a=proposed-updates Pin-Priority: 810 package: * pin: release a=testing Pin-Priority: 800 [2] --- /tmp/sources.list 2002-10-30 15:31:31.000000000 -0800 +++ /etc/apt/sources.list 2002-10-30 15:36:15.000000000 -0800 @@ -1,17 +1,21 @@ -#Main +#Stable +deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ stable main non-free contrib +deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US stable/non-US main contrib non-free + +#Testing deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ testing main non-free contrib deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US testing/non-US main contrib non-free +#Unstable +deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ unstable main non-free contrib +deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US unstable/non-US main contrib non-free + #Proposed Updates #deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ stable-proposed-updates main non-free contrib #deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ testing-proposed-updates main non-free contrib #deb http://security.debian.org/ stable/updates main contrib non-free -#Unstable -deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ unstable main non-free contrib -deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US unstable/non-US main contrib non-free - #Open Office #deb ftp://ftp.vpn-junkies.de/openoffice unstable main contrib #deb http://www.phy.olemiss.edu/openoffice/ testing main contrib [3] # apt-get -u remove shellutils textutils Reading Package Lists... Done Building Dependency Tree... Done The following packages will be REMOVED: shellutils textutils WARNING: The following essential packages will be removed This should NOT be done unless you know exactly what you are doing! shellutils textutils 0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 2 to remove and 0 not upgraded. Need to get 0B of archives. After unpacking 16.4kB will be freed. You are about to do something potentially harmful To continue type in the phrase 'Yes, do as I say!' ?]
--- /tmp/sources.list 2002-10-30 15:31:31.000000000 -0800 +++ /etc/apt/sources.list 2002-10-30 15:36:15.000000000 -0800 @@ -1,17 +1,21 @@ -#Main +#Stable +deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ stable main non-free contrib +deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US stable/non-US main contrib non-free + +#Testing deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ testing main non-free contrib deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US testing/non-US main contrib non-free +#Unstable +deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ unstable main non-free contrib +deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US unstable/non-US main contrib non-free + #Proposed Updates #deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ stable-proposed-updates main non-free contrib #deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ testing-proposed-updates main non-free contrib #deb http://security.debian.org/ stable/updates main contrib non-free -#Unstable -deb http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ unstable main non-free contrib -deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US unstable/non-US main contrib non-free - #Open Office #deb ftp://ftp.vpn-junkies.de/openoffice unstable main contrib #deb http://www.phy.olemiss.edu/openoffice/ testing main contrib