[NBLUG/talk] Synaptic error

[troy]

On Mon, Dec 01, 2003 at 03:26:26PM -0800, Lincoln Peters wrote:
> I tried to upgrade Synaptic (http://www.nongnu.org/synaptic/) on my
> Debian system from the old version in "stable" to the version in
> "unstable" (which I hoped would look and feel more like the Synaptic I
> see in the screenshots on their website).  However, I am now getting the
> following error whenever I try to start Synaptic:
> 
> # synaptic
> synaptic: relocation error: /usr/lib/libXft.so.2: undefined symbol: XRenderQuerySubpixelOrder
> 
> I tried to revert to the older version, but apparently something else
> got upgraded (I don't remember what) when Synaptic upgraded.  As a
> result, I get the following dependency error:
> 
> # apt-get remove synaptic
> [no problems]
> # apt-get -t stable install synaptic
> [snip]
> The following packages have unmet dependencies:
>   synaptic: Depends: libapt-pkg-libc6.2-3-2-3.2
> E: Broken dependencies
> 
> Does anyone know what that means?  And how do I fix this?

I don't know precisely, but since no one else responded I'll take a
shot.  Your original problem (the relocation error) is due to Sid
synaptic linking against a newer version of the freetype library than
the one from woody.  Perhaps synaptic didn't Depend: upon a specific
version.  Upgrading freetype is probably not something you want to do
(or can do without taking much of the rest of X with it)

Basically, since sid and woody have diverged so much in the time since
woody became 'stable', it's becoming more and more difficult to use sid
packages on woody.  Some stuff works, some doesn't, some want you to
upgrade so many packages that you may as well be running unstable.

IMHO, unstable is /fine/ as an everyday desktop.  I just wouldn't use it
as a server.

As far as fixing your current problem without upgrading to Sid?  See if
an 'apt-get dist-upgrade' sorts things out.

Also, as an apt-get alternative, try 'aptitude'  Syntax is similar to
apt-get, but it is often more helpful when things are whacked.

-troy