Why doesn't Debian etch have bzip2?

09-25-2008	#1 (permalink)
hazel Linux User Join Date: May 2004 Location: Harrow, UK Posts: 402	Why doesn't Debian etch have bzip2? The other day I downloaded a tarball and found out that I couldn't unzip it because I didn't have bzip2. That was surprising, but what shocked me was that I couldn't install bzip2 with apt either. It isn't in the repository. I always thought that bzip2 was a normal part of any Linux distro. Now I know that Debian is extremely picky about programs that don't satisfy its own very exacting definition of free software but what's wrong with bzip2? Does anyone know? __________________ "I'm just a little old lady; don't try to dazzle me with jargon!"
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09-25-2008	#2 (permalink)
GNU-Fan Linux User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 483	bzip2 is on agreement with the Debian policy and it is by all means available from the main repository of Etch. Debian -- Details of package bzip2 in etch I do not use aptitude but in dselect I could search for "bzip2" and found it. Maybe you obtain your packages from an incomplete mirror? Check your /etc/apt/sources.list where the address of your distributor can be found. __________________ I recommend Debian.

09-25-2008	#3 (permalink)
hazel Linux User Join Date: May 2004 Location: Harrow, UK Posts: 402	The only addresses I have listed are: deb Index of /debian etch main deb-src Index of /debian etch main deb Debian -- Security Information etch/updates main contrib deb-src Debian -- Security Information etch/updates main contrib Should there be others? btw I installed bzip2 from source so I have it now. __________________ "I'm just a little old lady; don't try to dazzle me with jargon!"

09-25-2008

#4 (permalink)

Linux User

Join Date: Mar 2008

Posts: 483

Quote:

Originally Posted by hazel

Should there be others?

No, looks fine, provided the UK mirror repo is not stripped down, but this is very unlikely. I think you have just overlooked it for some reason.

Quote:

Originally Posted by hazel

btw I installed bzip2 from source so I have it now.

Haha, way to go.

(But keep in mind you are responsible to keep track of security issues by yourself for this program now.)

__________________
I recommend Debian.

09-25-2008	#5 (permalink)
Freston Linux Engineer Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: The Netherlands Posts: 785	I unzip all my .bz2's with ye olde Code: tar -xvjf __________________ Can't tell an OS by it's GUI

09-26-2008

#6 (permalink)

Linux User

Join Date: May 2004

Location: Harrow, UK

Posts: 402

Quote:

Originally Posted by Freston

I unzip all my .bz2's with ye olde

Code:

tar -xvjf

Now why didn't I think of that? It's so bloody obvious!

__________________
"I'm just a little old lady; don't try to dazzle me with jargon!"

09-26-2008	#7 (permalink)
GNU-Fan Linux User Join Date: Mar 2008 Posts: 483	I think it would have complained because tar, at least GNU tar, does rely on and invoke the standalone program bzip2 if called with this option. __________________ I recommend Debian.

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