Hi Folks
Because of the trouble I had trying to upgrade my Woody KDE 3.1.4 to the
Woody 3.2.2 debs at download.k.o :
(http://lists.debian.org/debian-kde/2004/07/msg00121.html)
and the comments from others (thanks Nate) that it's probably due to my
use of backported XFree86 4.2.1, I've been trying to figure out how to
downgrade my Xfree86 from the www.backports.org version 4.2.1 that I
currently have to the vanilla 4.1.0-16 that normally comes with Woody.
But the commands I've tried either want to remove way too much of my
system, or they only allow me to replace individual packages :
1) asking apt-get to install the older xfree86-common causes it to want
to remove everything that depends on X, plus a few non-X packages you
wouldn't think were dependent (analog ? dsniff ? nethack ?) :
[NB: identical result with aptitude ..]
glimmer:# apt-get -s install xfree86-common/stable
Reading Package Lists...
Building Dependency Tree...
Selected version 4.1.0-16woody3 (Debian-Security:3.0/stable) for
xfree86-common
The following extra packages will be installed:
fontconfig libartsc0 libartsc0-dev libfontconfig1 libfreetype6
libfreetype6-dev xfree86-common
The following packages will be REMOVED:
aalib1 abiword abiword-common abiword-gtk abiword-plugins analog ark
armagetron arts artsbuilder bluefish bonobo dsniff frozen-bubble
frozen-bubble-lib gconf gdk-imlib1 gdm gimp1.2 glutg3 gnome-applets
gnome-bin
gnome-card-games gnome-control-center gnome-core gnome-gnomine
gnome-help
gnome-libs-data gnome-panel gnome-panel-data gnome-session
gnome-terminal
gnome-utils gs gs-common gsfonts-x11 guarddog gv icewm iconx
imagemagick
imlib1 kaboodle kaddressbook kandy kappfinder karbon kasteroids kate
kaudiocreator kbackgammon kbear kcd kchart kcontrol kde-theme-liquid
kdeartwork-style kdebase kdebase-bin kdebase-dev kdebase-kio-plugins
kdelibs-bin kdelibs4 kdelibs4-dev kdemultimedia
kdemultimedia-kfile-plugins
kdemultimedia-kio-plugins kdepim-libs kdeprint kdesktop kdevelop
kdevelop-data kdf kdm kfind kformula kgamma kget kgpg kgpgcertmanager
khelpcenter kicker kit kivio klipper kmahjongg kmail kmenuedit kmid
kmidi
kmix kmyfirewall knode knotes koffice koffice-libs konqueror
konqueror-nsplugins konsole kontour kopete koshell koules kpackage
kpager
kpersonalizer kppp kpresenter krec ksame kscd kscreensaver ksmserver
ksplash
kspread ksysguard ksysv ktip kugar kwin kword kxconfig lbreakout2
lbxproxy
libarts1 libarts1-audiofile libarts1-dev libarts1-mpeglib
libarts1-xine
libcapplet0 libgal-data libgal19 libgconf11 libgd1
libgdk-pixbuf-gnome2
libgdk-pixbuf2 libgimp1.2 libglade-gnome0 libglade0 libglide3
libgnome-vfs-common libgnome-vfs0 libgnome32 libgnomeprint-bin
libgnomeprint-data libgnomeprint15 libgnomesupport0 libgnomeui32
libgnorba27
libgtk1.2 libgtkhtml20 libgtkxmhtml1 libkdegames1 libkdenetwork2
libkonq4
libmagick5 libmng-dev libqt2 libqt3-mt libqt3-mt-dev libqutil1
libsdl-image1.2 libsdl-mixer1.2 libsdl-perl libsdl-ttf1.2
libsdl1.2debian
libsdl1.2debian-all libsmpeg0 libungif4g libwmf0.2-2 libxaw6 libxaw7
libxine0
lincity-x mirrormagic mozilla-browser mozilla-psm mpeglib
msttcorefonts
nethack nethack-common nethack-x11 noatun nowebm proxymngr
qt3-dev-tools
quanta rep-gtk rep-gtk-gnome sane sawfish-gnome snowflake synaesthesia
t1lib1
timidity tk8.3 tuxracer twm usbview x-ttcidfont-conf x-window-system
x-window-system-core xaos xaw3dg xbase-clients xcruise xdm xfireworks
xfishtank xfonts-100dpi xfonts-75dpi xfonts-abi xfonts-base
xfonts-konsole
xfonts-scalable xfwp xgalaga xhangglider xlibmesa-dev xlibmesa-gl-dev
xlibmesa-glu-dev xlibmesa3 xlibmesa3-gl xlibs xlibs-dev xlibs-pic xmms
xnest
xpdf xpdf-reader xscavenger xscreensaver xscreensaver-gl
xscreensaver-nognome
xserver-common xserver-xfree86 xterm xtris xutils
The following NEW packages will be installed:
fontconfig libfontconfig1
The following packages will be DOWNGRADED
xfree86-common
4 packages upgraded, 2 newly installed, 1 downgraded, 239 to remove and
23 not upgraded.
2) dpkg looks promising but will only replace one package at a time
glimmer:# dpkg --no-act -i
/var/cache/apt/archives/xfree86-common_4.1.0-16woody1_all.deb
dpkg - warning: downgrading xfree86-common from 4.2.1-15.backports.org.1
to 4.1.0-16woody1.
(Reading database ... 68117 files and directories currently installed.)
Preparing to replace xfree86-common 4.2.1-15.backports.org.1 (using
.../xfree86-common_4.1.0-16woody1_all.deb) ...
Presumably I'd have to repeat this for each of the 34 XFree86 4.2.1
packages I have installed ...
Googling for advice on downgrading has not produced an answer. I found
these official docs :
http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/reference/ch-package.en.html
http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/apt-howto/ch-apt-get.en.html
which only have this to say :
"Downgrading from a later release of a package
to an earlier one is not officially supported in Debian"
And, coincidentally, this comment in a current Slashdot debate on the
move to X.org by various free Un*xen :
http://bsd.slashdot.org/comments.pl?sid=115601&cid=9791311
"it's virtually impossible to remove XFree packages
from a Debian installation and not remove every
other program that uses X on the system"
Some postings suggest using pinning to achieve a downgrade, but this
would appear to require pinning 34 individual packages by name in this
case ...
Does anyone have a nice/best way of doing this X downgrade ?
Would performing 34 individual dpkg's be likely to produce a working
system afterwards ?
I'm starting to think I may have to blow away every vestige of XFree,
KDE, and all other X apps, and then reinstall .... ouch :-(
PS: it turns out I'm not the only one with the KDE 3.1.4-to-3.2.2
upgrade problem - two other people have mailed me off list to say they
have the same problem.
Cheers,
Nick Boyce
Bristol, UK
