[Aptitude-devel] Bug#608811: aptitude: Should prefer to install package in experimental rather than no version at all

[Manuel A. Fernandez Montecelo]

2016-03-18 14:40 Manuel A. Fernandez Montecelo:
>
>aptitude doesn't know that you prefer to install the version from
>experimental than the one from unstable, if it's pinned lower:
>
>>=====
>># apt-cache policy transmission-cli
>>transmission-cli:
>> Installed: (none)
>> Candidate: 2.03-2
>> Version table:
>>    2.11-1 0
>>       100 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ experimental/main i386 Packages
>>    2.03-2 0
>>       500 http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ sid/main i386 Packages
>>=====
>>
>>While I know that the install candidate is 2.03-2 (and aptitude will try
>>to install it), aptitude should prefer to install the new package at
>>experimental. The first logical solution seems to be "install the
>>version from experimental"
>
>There are safety mechanisms in aptitude to not install versions from
>"non-default versions", and there are many bugs already complaining that
>it's very easy for them to install versions in aptitude inadvertently,
>even when aptitude prints "experimental" in the process.
>
>So many people would not agree that installing from "experimental" is
>the first logical solution.

Just adding a note...

There are other ways to declare that one wants packages from experimental:

a) if it's "permanent" (one always wants a package from "experimental",
   or "unstable" while "stable" is pinned higher, etc; is to set the
   specific package(s) with a higher pin priority (man apt_preferences)

b) only for this session, setting "experimental" as the
APT::Default-Release, using -t / --target-release:

   aptitude -t experimental transmission-cli


Cheers.
-- 
Manuel A. Fernandez Montecelo <manuel.montezelo at gmail.com>