Installing new packages in kubuntu

[voonte]

I'm trying to figure out a way to deal with installing new packages in kubuntu. I need a newer version of strigi than hardy's repo has (0.5.7). I need at least 0.5.9 and I noticed the intrepid repo had this. However, I don't want to include the full intrepid repository in my sources, I just need strigi and its dependencies.

If I needed a newer package in gentoo I could unmask it and install. What's the best way to handle this in kubuntu?

[dibl]

Re: Installing new packages in kubuntu

If you can find a .deb file (compiled Debian package) of your desired package/version, then that's the next best way, after the Ubuntu repository packages. You just download it, right-click it, and "install with Gdebi". Or you can install KPackage and use that for installing Debian packages (if there are no dependency conflicts).

[voonte]

Re: Installing new packages in kubuntu

dibl, thanks for the answer. I did find a .deb at http://packages.ubuntu.com/intrepid/strigi-client . I would like a more automatic solution since I'm gonna need more packages than strigi-client.

I temporarily added the intrepid repository to /etc/apt/sources.list and installed strigi-client, then commented it out and it seems to work fine. But this feels quite dangerous in case I'd forget to comment it out. :P Are there any better ways?

[dibl]

Re: Installing new packages in kubuntu

Well, you have to understand that going outside the standard *buntu repos for packages is kinda .... skating on thin ice? The *buntu developers go to quite a bit of trouble to make sure that they include packages that will be compatible with the released version of the distribution. There are over 22,000 packages in the standard repos, so there should be close to enough for most purposes. Of course there are complementary repos such as Medibuntu that are pretty safe, but once you start out into the Debian and private repositories, all bets are off regarding the stability of installed packages on your Kubuntu system, and their effects on other stuff that you already have.

A reasonably safe alternative to grabbing compiled packages out of third-party repos would be to download the source code for the package of interest, and then to compile it for your installed kernel.

As far as what you did to get the strigi-client, that's fine -- you made it across the thin ice and then commented out the repo. Leave it commented out. I guess "all is well that ends well" is the story here. But be careful doing that -- the desire for a later version of a package than what is available in the standard repo has be the cause of many a problem.

[voonte]

Re: Installing new packages in kubuntu

I understand what it means to go outside the standard repos. I keep my base system with the *buntu defaults, the only exception being libraries for kde4. I suppose I could've built strigi in my local kde4 directory (like I do with kdelibs, kdebase) but it feels better to let apt-get manage some of the libraries. An even better solution would be to modify the 0.5.7-hardy deb source and create my own package. Thanks for the help.