On Sun, 16 Mar 2003 20:58:02 -0500 [EMAIL PROTECTED] sat at his keyboard and wrote:
> As a general rule, it isn't safe to force things. That's why it must > be specified as an argument. > > In THIS case, it's safe, and we can be pretty certain of that: > 1. Apt's error message tells you the problem is that the package > failed to install because one of its files would overwrite a file > already on the system. This is good, safe default behavior, because > apt doesn't know whether the packages work and play well together. > 2. We, on the other hand, can be sure it's OK to overwrite THIS file, > because it's part of the same version of CUPS. If one file were from > CUPS and the other from (for example) gnome-print we wouldn't be able > to say whether the files would conflict or not. > > If you're a new Debianese these things can be confusing. (Heck, if > you're an old Debianese they can be confusing!) > > I recommend installing aptitude. Use it to browse the "Not installed > packages" ---> "doc" section. Install everything about Debian, apt, > and dpkg that you have room for, especially the Debian Reference, > newbiedoc, and dwww. > > Then the fun begins. We need to find a way to transmit that knowledge > to our brains. Unfortunately, there's only one way. > > Say it with me, "RTFM". <big g> > > Good luck. > > Kevin Thank you Kevin for your elaborate, well put, answer. As you can see by my sig, I AM a certified Debianese newbie. I did try aptitude. The one thing I didn't like about ti was that it didn't show me how big the packages are before I download them. I like to know this because I have a dialup connection which I share with my three teeagers. So, i like to have an estimate in my head of how long it's going to take to download this update. Maybe I missed it; does aptitude show package sizes? Thanks for the RTFM tip, I'll do that right away. I'm pretty sure my 75GB WD drive has enough room. -- debian_newbie, Thanks -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact [EMAIL PROTECTED]
