Latest updates.

i am not sure why synaptic was removed i have not updated as yet, however if you prefer synaptic can you reinstall it via kpackage or apt-get

./hippy

linux reg no #371875

Nope. Wrong.

root@1[cougar]# apt-get install synaptic
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.

Since you only requested a single operation it is extremely likely that
the package is simply not installable and a bug report against
that package should be filed.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
synaptic: Depends: libapt-pkg-libc6.3-5-3.3
E: Broken packages

root@1[cougar]# apt-get install libapt-pkg-libc6.3-5-3.3
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
Note, selecting apt instead of libapt-pkg-libc6.3-5-3.3
apt is already the newest version.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 6 not upgraded.
root@1[cougar]#

The updates broke the hell outta it and kpackage won't do it either.

cougaran, when you did your "latest updates", how did you do them? Through synaptic or apt-get? If through synaptic, when asked, did you choose the "Smart Upgrade"? If you used apt-get, did you use the dist-upgrade? If you did either of these, then you probably messed up your system!

Mepis is based upon Debian Linux but there are differences in the two distros. Although there's an ongoing discussion on this forum about how far one should go on upgrades there is one thing that all of us who do upgrades agree upon: do not use dist-upgrade or smart upgrade. That is because dist-upgrade (smart), tries to be (ahem) "smart" on figuring out what to fix/add/subtract. There are enough differences in Mepis vs a vanilla Debian install that things can get real bad, real fast!

How far are you on your Mepis installation? Do you have things organized in such a way that it wouldn't be too difficult to reinstall? Let us know a little more about how your system is set up and we can probably get the OS fixed up without too much disruption

Jon

I updated Mepis 3.3.1 today with Kpackage. It did not install all the new packages in the first go. I selected the remaining packages and it downloaded them. On install segment, it started to remove tons of packages? I rebooted it and it will only get to a comand log in. I log in and try Startx , but to no avail.

What happened, anybody get this in todays update?

Any recovery solitions?

Carl

Install? This was no installation, I've had this system for several months and have always updated the exact same way without any problems whatsoever. I used SYNAPTIC, *NOT* apt-get. Synaptic is now gone, remember??? How do I get it back?

I think:
It seems that with the changes with the debian reps that synaptic has been moved to wherever it has been moved to and so those(there are several people it appears,) that did an apt-get upgrade will have to wait until debian sorts it out, which will probably be sooner than later
Edit: I have installed synaptic 0.55 aand after doing an apt-get update about 2 hours ago, the newest synapyic is 0.57-2. What do you have?
If you desperately need synaptic before the problem gets solved (I really think it's a debian or synaptic one, not Mepis) try and download it or an earlier .deb here.
http://packages.debian.org/unstable/admin/synaptic.html
anticapitalista

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

Looks like I'll use kpackage (sic) until they fix the problem... I don't like kpackage at all but at least it will get me the security updates. (I stopped using apt-get on the command line months ago because it screwed my nvidia drivers royally making a total system reinstall necessary to get them back.)

This is from the mepislovers forum.
See here:

http://www.mepislovers.org/modules/newbb/viewtopic.php?topic_id=8186&forum=9

Edit: The advice given (on, again, Mepislovers, for nvidia drivers that work is to "pin" it so that when you do an apt-get upgrade, it won't affect/effect the rest of the system.

anticapitalista

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

I have been avoiding mepis's 'updated' nvidia drivers like a plague for months. BIG mistake to upgrade to them. Sure wish admin would find a fix so they can be updated. (STILL running the *old* 6629 drivers here)

I'm using the same glx. As I have an xtra partition to mess around on, I upgraded to kernel 2.6.11 (no problems), and I also upgraded to the new nvidia drivers (problems). Basically I had a choice, use the new kernel without nvidia, or keep the "old" kernel and nvidia drivers.

BTW: So that this doesn't seem like a gripe at Mepis, when I first installed my very first Mepis, 2004.05, and the one I am using now, Mepis 3.3, it detected my nvidia straight away.
I've decided to wait until the new Mepis 3.4 comes out for any major changes in terms of nvidia drivers and kernel (KDE 3.4 doesn't interest me as I prefer fluxbox), and I'm sure that Warren and the developers will make sure that everything will be fine with this new release. I haven't been dissappointed yet!

anticapitalista

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

Synaptic just installed. I can forget about kpackage now. All is well again. Thanks to whoever fixed this!

Glad you are happy now.
signing out.......................
anticapitalista

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

I have been doing "smart" synaptic updates to (3.3) on my DFI/nvidia system all along without any trouble, but am re-thinking that approach after reading this string. Maybe I have been really lucky with updating this way. Evrything still works - knock on wood.

On the Kanotix board (which has a number of knowledgable folks) they suggest that ALL apt-get upgrades (regular and 'dist') be done at init level 3 where KDE and X are NOT running.

If you have upgrades to X or KDE it sort of makes sense to not have them running while you are replacing their files.

Al

Your info Al isn't a bad idea, but given that Mepis is aimed at the GUI crowd and lots don't (yet) like the command line, I don't know how many might be able to do this. Also, the "new folks" might not like to turn X off/on. But for systems that don't need the graphic environment this would be good. Thanks for the tip

Jon

PS, I gotta check out kanotix again

============

Mepis is perfectly positioned for the newbie or semi-newbie or the 'old-hand' tired of fighting Slackware (like me). It's easy, stable, and has a great community (although not the worlds most responsive development team in communicating with their customers.)

Kanotix is where you go when you want to play with the cutting-edge stuff... newer kernel, newer KDE, newer Open Office, and a lot of 'stuff' that is not quite ready for prime-time but which works most of the time. The one thing I find with Kanotix is that it is blazingly fast.... far faster than Mepis in changing screen, opening applications, rendering web pages in F.F. and even in booting up.

Kanotix does not have the hand-holding OScenter like Mepis. It does have some interesting scripts you can run to configure some things. Kanotix is a one-man distro (J??rg Schirottke aka Kano) like Mepis, except that the creator often contributes to the forum and can be found on IRC all the time. (The guy never sleeps!)

To me Mepis is the "Mandrake" of the Debian world. Nice, friendly, solid, and reliable. Kanotix is the Gentoo or Slackware of the Debian world. Small 'fanatical' community of non-newbies, blazing fast, little if any 'bloat' and with state-of-the-art packages (which sometimes don't work all that well.... like Kaffeine.)

The vast majority of Mepis users should stay right here. But the few more experienced folks who want to play on a faster track with newer toys, and still have a rock-solid core disto, they will enjoy Kanotix http://kanotix.com/files/kanotix/.

I run both. In fact I get the best font rendering by running Kanotix with the Mepis-generated XF86Config-4 file that I copied to it.

Al