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skink

Member

Registered: 2018-11-05

Posts: 2  

How to get more up-to-date libraries & dev tools

I loaded up the latest XFCE Devuan, and it's running solidly. However, many of the packages I would like for development & libraries are several versions in back of what I need. For example, I can't build XFCE with the standard repos.

I'm not a Debian person, so I wouldn't know, is there a solution for this, like bleeding edge Debian repos somewhere where I can load the latest dev tools without crunching the OS? My solution would be to move to a different distro, but I didn't come here to diss Devuan. Every time in the past I've tried to fight the package management system, it hasn't ended well. So, I just want to know if a solution is already built into the Debian ecosystem that I just don't know about.

Thanks....k

golinux

Administrator

Registered: 2016-11-25

Posts: 3,318  

Re: How to get more up-to-date libraries & dev tools

@skink . . . try backports first.  You can search for newer packages here

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fsmithred

Administrator

Registered: 2016-11-25

Posts: 2,486  

Re: How to get more up-to-date libraries & dev tools

You could install beowulf (or ceres) in a chroot and build packages there. Another possiblity is to use pbuilder, which if I understand correctly, builds packages in a chroot for you.

skink

Member

Registered: 2018-11-05

Posts: 2  

Re: How to get more up-to-date libraries & dev tools

Wow. I knew they existed but I've never done that. How do you keep from clobbering important libraries, etc. on the stable system? Is there some sort of protection built into synaptic to prevent this?

fsmithred

Administrator

Registered: 2016-11-25

Posts: 2,486  

Re: How to get more up-to-date libraries & dev tools

Here's a brief description -

Make a directory to work in. (or make a spare partition and mount it).
Do a debootstrap install in that directory.
Chroot into that directory and run commands like you were running that system.

All those libraries will not be used by the host system, because they are in the wrong place. They will be used in the chroot system, because they are in the right place for that system. (chroot means 'change root' so it treats your work directory like the root of the filesystem.)

I'm pretty sure you can find debootstrap instructions somewhere on this forum.