I'm currently running Debian (etch) and I'm attempting to install Pidgin. I'm trying to install the backported version found here.... http://download.tuxfamily.org/emiscabpo/misc-backports/pidgin/ So I downloaded the pidgin-data_2.3.1-1~bpo40+2_all.deb file and tried to install it but I got the error that i needed libpurple0. So I downloaded libpurple0_2.3.1-1~bpo40+2_i386.deb when I try to install libpuple0 I get the error that I need libnspr4-0d. Now thats not on the web page so I used synaptic package manager to search/install libnspr4-0d, but it says its already installed so I reinstall it just to make sure. I still cant install libpurple0 because it says I need libnspr4-0d but synaptic package manager says I've already got it ?WTF? Anyone got any ideas. I don't get it, I've looked on Google but had no luck. BTW: I did install tcl8.4 and tk8.4 because it was recommended but still no luck
That's the problem with upstream packages.. You can break your etch system badly trying to install them because they are complied against a very different set of libs... You may have something with the right name.. but it's the wrong version. you need to add some of the backports repositories to your sources. http://emiscabpo.wordpress.com/about/ http://packages.debian.org/etch-backports/pidgin Trying to use dpkg to install apps ported from other releases is a dependency nightmare. http://www.backports.org/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=instructions I have learned to stick pretty much with etch packages on etch, so I'm not going to try to resolve this one by installing it.. I may throw etch on another old system sometime and have a look, but I need uptime on my main so it's a no no. xchat and gaim work for me.
Unless there is something really significant you need with the new version of a program, probably a case of "if it ain't broke, don't fix it". Pidgin is/was Gaim, so you shouldn't miss much if protocols haven't changed. Just another reason why I like rolling releases. Yeah, I know that the price of living on the bleeding edge is that I'm going to get cut, but that is why backups are a good idea regardless of distro (and provides a nice opportunity to distro hop a little if/when it does break). Even then, once I have a fully working system I only upgrade what I need to upgrade for added features or major security hole fixes, and let the package manager handle dependancies that require updating, most are extremely good at resolving all of that crap these days.
So after I add those links to my sources.list file then I should be able to obtain the files I need to get pidgin running? I'm unsure what my sources.list file is supposed to look like. It currently looks like this.... # # deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 r2 _Etch_ - Official i386 DVD Binary-1 20080102-13:19]/ etch contrib main deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 r2 _Etch_ - Official i386 DVD Binary-1 20080102-13:19]/ etch contrib main deb http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ etch main deb-src http://ftp.us.debian.org/debian/ etch main deb http://security.debian.org/ etch/updates main contrib deb-src http://security.debian.org/ etch/updates main contrib Now to add a source do I just copy and paste those links right under those last ones? Do I need to change anything around in my sources.list file (like the #'s or anything, because I read somewhere that I should)? I really appreciate all the help you guys are giving me cause I'm a complete noob when it comes to Linux so thanks again for all the assistance =)
You can just add the backports straight in.. Please note you need to be root to edit sources.list su - <password> nano /etc/apt/sources.list make your changes.. copy/paste will work from a browser to nano to close editor and save.. <ctrl+x> <shift+Y> I personally would add a section like this ## backports deb http://www.backports.org/debian etch-backports main contrib non-free deb http://download.tuxfamily.org/emiscabpo/misc-backports/ ./ ## backports_end also you should add ## mulitmedia deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org etch main ## multimedia_end then do this.. Run apt-get update All backports are deactivated by default. If you want to install something from backports run: apt-get -t etch-backports install “package” Of course, you can use aptitude as well: aptitude -t etch-backports install “package” As you are using etch and you want apt to verify the downloaded backports you can import backports.org archive’s key into apt: apt-get install debian-backports-keyring or gpg --keyserver hkp://subkeys.pgp.net --recv-keys 16BA136C gpg --export | apt-key add - or wget -O - http://backports.org/debian/archive.key | apt-key add - You also ned to add the debian-multimedia key so.. apt-get install debian-multimedia-keyring Ignopre the warnings about missing gpg. Adding the debian multimedia repo to your sources will make a vast improvement to your overall system usability ######################################################### my sources.list file, for reference.. # # deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 r2 _Etch_ - Official i386 NETINST Binary-1 20080103-00:44]/ etch contrib main #deb cdrom:[Debian GNU/Linux 4.0 r2 _Etch_ - Official i386 NETINST Binary-1 20080103-00:44]/ etch contrib main ## main deb http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ etch main contrib non-free deb-src http://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ etch main contrib non-free ## main_end ## multimedia deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org etch main ## mulitmedia_end ## security deb http://security.debian.org/ etch/updates main contrib deb-src http://security.debian.org/ etch/updates main contrib ## security_end ## misc ## misc_end An example of good unix practice..label everything so you or others know what it's for.. you never know how long some of these things will be hanging about unused for ages so it makes sense to keep them in boxes Finally if you are completely new to linux and debian this well written and comprehensive guide will help you no end.. http://www.free-bees.co.uk/articles/debianetchguide/ There are a few annoyances with etch, but this site deals with those nicely.. http://www.debiantutorials.org/content/view/161/211/
I tried another way with pidgin (before i went to a full Lenny Install, it is in Lenny repos by default) and that was to download the source and install that way. When you run ./configure it lets you know what is missing and then you have to go hunting. also, you will need an ssl layer to access the msn protocol, i think the way i did it was to install anything that had SSL in its title. varnull will probably hit me for doing this, as a lot of it was probably unnecessary (lol). you can add lenny to your sources.list, just copy the line from the etch source, and change etch to lenny. you will have to apt-get update, then apt-get install pidgin. a word of caution though, if you are unsure about using testing (which Lenny is) then do not do this, you could break your system (i have done in the past, one of the main reasons i went to Lenny fulltime instead of a mix of etch and lenny).
I don't need an ssl layer to access the MSN protocol... gaim works perfectly... or is that because I'm a @msn.com not a @hotmail??
possibly mate, when I first tried to connect to my msn account it came back with the "Requires SSL layer" etc etc. Never had that with gaim, only pidgin. I am guessing (correct me if I am wrong) that Gaim was written based on AIM code, therefore didn't need the SSL specifically (or was incorporated into it). Pidgin has been from the ground up, and there may have been some licensing issues to do with the SSL layer (but I ain't no expert).
Well I didnt exactly resolve the issue cause for some reason I kept geting errors so I used Synaptic Package Manager and installed gaim the easy way. Now I got gaim up and running and I'm very satisfied, its a great program and handles all my instant messaging accounts perfectly. Thanks for help and sorry it took me so long to respond but I have been away from my Linux box for some time and have just recently started using it agian. Thanks again for the help
Aye.. glad you got something working. If you need an irc client I suggest xchat, though kvirc works well too. If it makes you feel any better I couldn't get pidgin to work properly either. It is unstable.
For what its worth, I've never had issues with Pidgin/Gaim that were directly because of it, has pretty much always been due to some upstream change in a protocol when something has played up I think, and then an update has brought things back under control. Response time from the devs with such things has always been quite prompt. So I think the perception of "instability" might be due to the use of older version packages maybe, so in effect, a consequence of using a "stable" distro? If it has to pass through a long testing phase, I imagine the time between the release and a protocol change would be shortened, so one would see it breaking more frequently?
Hey V -- thanks for the heads-up to my little corner of the world. Lenny is comming -- as are updates. It's a fine time to be a Debian user.
And lenny64 is superb. Very complete.. all together a very polished release. Still on etch with this machine. It does lots of hard work and I don't have time to break it yet I keep meaning to upgrade, but there are too many strange apps which I built myself and use on an almost daily basis. Maybe I will start testing more fully on a spare amd900 that is lurking.
