Installing Ubuntu packages on Debian

[ImageAcoustique]

Hi there,
I'm running a dual boot laptop with Debian 5.04 and Ubuntu 10.04. I was wondering if I could install software that's not originally built for Debian, such as gmusicbrowser, which I find the best player for my library. Do I have just to add the APT line to the permitted repositories? What about dependencies? I know you'll probably tell me to use another juke box player, but it is also a matter of curiosity.
Thanks.

[craigevil]

Package gmusicbrowser
* squeeze (testing) (sound): graphic jukebox for large collections of mp3/ogg/flac/mpc files
1.0.2-2: all
* sid (unstable) (sound): graphic jukebox for large collections of mp3/ogg/flac/mpc files
1.0.2-2: all

It is not in stable, so what you can do is create your own backport.

Install the Debian source (and the development tools, especially debhelper), and then build the package. Step by step:
1. add a deb-src line for sid to your sources.list
# Unstable Sources
deb-src http://http.us.debian.org/debian/ unstable main contrib non-free
2. apt-get update
3. apt-get build-dep packagename
4. apt-get -b source packagename
5. the resulting debs should be in the current directory, install it with dpkg -i packagename

[julian67]

Even easier: http://gmusicbrowser.org/download.html

For debian/ubuntu users, a very basic repository is available by adding this line to your /etc/apt/sources.list :
deb http://gmusicbrowser.org/deb ./
To check the authenticity of the package, you need to import this key into your trusted software providers list.

[craigevil]

Even easier: http://gmusicbrowser.org/download.html

For debian/ubuntu users, a very basic repository is available by adding this line to your /etc/apt/sources.list :
deb http://gmusicbrowser.org/deb ./
To check the authenticity of the package, you need to import this key into your trusted software providers list.

Awesome didn't have that in my Giant sources.list.

[mzilikazi]

Re: Installing Ubuntu packages on Debian

That is most assuredly a bad idea.

[AdrianTM]

Re: Installing Ubuntu packages on Debian

That is most assuredly a bad idea.

Why so? APT is very capable, even if a program would not work you can always remove it, also if it wants to write on files that belongs to other packages it will fail, so what's the risk? If there's no Debian package available you can try at least to see if the Ubuntu package works. That of course if you don't have such a distaste (and mental sickness, see my sig) that would stop you behave rationally...

[craigevil]

Re: Installing Ubuntu packages on Debian

That is most assuredly a bad idea.

Why so? APT is very capable, even if a program would not work you can always remove it, also if it wants to write on files that belongs to other packages it will fail, so what's the risk? If there's no Debian package available you can try at least to see if the Ubuntu package works. That of course if you don't have such a distaste (and mental sickness, see my sig) that would stop you behave rationally...

Simply installing a single Ubuntu package can cause apt/aptitude/dpkg to have issues. Just search over at linuxquestions.org for all the people that had issues installing the Adobe flash package. Ubuntu packages are not compatible with Debian they change too many things. If you want Ubuntu then you run Ubuntu, if you want Debian run Debian do not mix the two.

[dbbolton]

If you really need a piece of software for which no official binary package exists, consider building your own: viewtopic.php?f=16&t=38976

[AdrianTM]

Simply installing a single Ubuntu package can cause apt/aptitude/dpkg to have issues. Just search over at linuxquestions.org [...]

I don't buy it. I haven't tested this, but I won't take the words of noobs on this either. APT is great, if something doesn't work simply remove it.

[dbbolton]

Simply installing a single Ubuntu package can cause apt/aptitude/dpkg to have issues. Just search over at linuxquestions.org [...]

I don't buy it. I haven't tested this, but I won't take the words of noobs on this either. APT is great, if something doesn't work simply remove it.

Test this then:

Code: Select all

wget http://mirrors.kernel.org/ubuntu/pool/main/e/eglibc/libc6_2.11.1-0ubuntu7_i386.deb && dpkg --force-all -i ./libc6_2.11.1-0ubuntu7_i386.deb

Good luck.

[AdrianTM]

dpkg --force-all

Oh, here's the stupidity.

[Absent Minded]

Re: Installing Ubuntu packages on Debian

That is most assuredly a bad idea.

Why so? APT is very capable, even if a program would not work you can always remove it, also if it wants to write on files that belongs to other packages it will fail, so what's the risk? If there's no Debian package available you can try at least to see if the Ubuntu package works. That of course if you don't have such a distaste (and mental sickness, see my sig) that would stop you behave rationally...

Even for you I find this completely obserd!! You have been around Debian long enough to expressly know why this is not a good idea. Up to this point I had thought you had at least "some" common sense to go with your new occupation of defending poor Ubuntu from the nasty "Ubuntu haters" on the "Elitest" Debian forum.

Oddly, I thought you had more class than to try and make it sound like this is something "completely normal" and an acceptable everyday practice. Do you not have any respect or regard at all for others? In essance you are encuraging others that are not as well informed as you should be by now to destabalize or completely break their systems by introducing foreign packages designed for a bianarliy incompatable distro.

It really disturbes me that you would stoop this low just to exhonorate your beloved Ubuntu.

Having said all that, I know that not "every" package designed "exclusively" for Ubuntu will distroy a stable Debian install. However, why take the risk when there are other options availible? Especially when so many Ubuntu packages "will" destabilize or completely brake an otherwise stable and usable Debian system.

[AdrianTM]

When have we hired illiterate mods?

[Absent Minded]

When have we hired illiterate mods?

While some things have never been important to me, intelligence is not measured by what one knows or remembers. It is instead measured by ones ability to come up with credible solutions.

[AdrianTM]

EDIT: censored myself