[Gnumed-devel] Re: Debian lenny required for client 0.2.8.10-1 ??

[James Busser]

On 2-Sep-08, at 5:57 AM, Andreas Tille wrote:

> What you probably want is addition is a file /etc/apt/preferences  
> saying
> something like
>
>   Package: *
>   Pin: release a=stable
>   Pin-Priority: 500
>
>   Package: *
>   Pin: release a=testing
>   Pin-Priority: 50
>
> to make sure that stable remains your prefered distribution.

I try to remember what I am taught ;-)
and I had done so with my installation of Etch. But that did not seem  
enough for apt-get to resolve the dependencies needed to move to  
install gnumed-client=0.2.8.10-1


On 2-Sep-08, at 5:39 AM, Karsten Hilbert wrote:
> > people with a stable system (even when lenny is stable)
> > may need to be able to update their gnumed through some means
> > other than using cvs
>
> They can't. The stable system is stable because it doesn't change.

But downloading and running the client from tarball will not resolve  
dependencies which is why --- for Joe Doctor (and even for plain  
sanity) --- we should like apt-get to be taking care of this for us.  
Running a mixed system which is *mostly* stable, except for  
specifically-needed software from testing, is supposed to be possible  
and maybe not painful.

Requriing people to use testing is not a good solution when we know  
that -- at least for servers --- it will be wiser for them to run on  
stable. So we need to clean up what is needed to not-too-painfully  
help apt-get install things which may be needed from testing.

On 2-Sep-08, at 4:38 AM, Karsten Hilbert wrote:
> While this [becoming aware] can surely be done starting with 0.3  
> the client
> checks for upgrades at startup and informs the user if any are  
> available.

What is it, exactly, that the client "detects" and announces? What  
would be the links or steps between the preparation of a client- 
detectable "release" and the availability of something that the user  
can actually install without creating problems?

Is it agreed that releases which would affect a dependency should be  
held back from client detection until the release can be apt-gotten?  
Can a developer (easily) lose sight of when a client release would  
affect its dependencies?

Could dependencies in testing prove unable to be installed on a mixed  
system? I suppose I am worrying whether clinically-needed GNUmed  
clients may be unable to run on a mixed stable/testing system. This  
would mean that even if a server *could* run under stable, an IT  
person could not confirm proper behaviour of client software (if it  
had to be on "testing") and server software (on stable) on a single  
machine.