problems with sarge...

[Nihilanth]

I've been installing some of my software with apt, but if i want to compile something from source, or need too. I'm always missing <dependancy>-dev (headers?) and/or bad versions if they are available. So i try to compile them from source and I have bad versions of the dependancies of the dependancies as well.

For example, I want to compile gaim (newest version) from source instead of using the apt package, as it's a little old. So it tells me i need to install a new version of Glib (I really need Glib-dev (headers) which dont' exist AFAIK) pkgconfig and GTK+2.0 (which I have installed!)

Has anyone else had issues similar to this? Any advice?

thanks

[exploder]

Try searching those missing packages by typing $apt-cache search <<missing package>>
you get a list of packages with description. You can go through the list and install the right package you want.

Let me know it worked or not

[farslayer]

If you are annoyed by stale packages, have you considered running Debian unstable ? (Unstable has been pretty darn stable in my experience.. )

True for servers using the stable repository is the only way to go , but for my workstation I run unstable so I can have applications that are more current.

GAIM in Debian stable is version 1.2
GAIM in Debian unstable is version 1.5
GAIM from source is version 1.5

Mozilla Firefox in Debian stable is version 1.0.4
Mozilla Firefox in Debian unstable is version 1.0.7

for more versions see: http://distrowatch.com/table.php?distribution=debian

See the point I'm trying to make ?

by compiling your own software you loose out on one of the neatest parts of Debian.. the apt package management

something to think about.



Debian unstable 2.6.12-i686

[Nihilanth]

I asked in #debian on freenode (that channel is absolutley wonderful!) and If i do apt-get build-dep <pkg> it will download all the packages necessary to compile it from source. Thanks for your help though, guys.