Does synaptic support latest .sources files?

[chconnor]

In a previous version of Kubuntu I installed Kicad by starting with:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kicad/kicad-7.0-releases

...AFAICT, that made /etc/apt/sources.list.d/kicad-ubuntu-kicad-7_0-releases-lunar.list which currently has these contents:

# deb https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/kicad/kicad-7.0-releases/ubuntu/ mantic main # disabled on upgrade to mantic
# deb-src https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/kicad/kicad-7.0-releases/ubuntu/ lunar main​

...as well as a key in /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/.

Then I upgraded to 23.10 which disabled that repo. This shows in the Synaptic repo list as expected. Seeing that Kicad 8 is out, I ran:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kicad/kicad-8.0-releases

...which, instead of a .list file, made a .sources file at /etc/apt/sources.list.d/kicad-ubuntu-kicad-8_0-releases-mantic.sources which contains:

Types: deb
URIs: https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/kicad/kicad-8.0-releases/ubuntu/
Suites: mantic
Components: main
Signed-By: -----BEGIN PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----
.
mQINBF8ER7cBEACXkTz5mUfH9JYNDLLPZqpXrkHSIKu8HDJX79 CTKsABAyE4Fl3s
<key contents removed for brevity>
kCAxlotbXJ0rAcMNAW9+wgGteRo=
=Oz8U
-----END PGP PUBLIC KEY BLOCK-----​

...with no key added in /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d. This works fine with apt: I was able to install Kicad 8 without issue (after uninstalling Kicad 7).

However, this new repo does not show up in the repositories in Synaptic. Is this a new version of repository metadata or something? I also note that deleting the old repository entries in Synaptic doesn't seem to take effect: they reappear when I run Synaptic again.

Is there a better Synaptic alternative to use with Kubuntu? Muon is no longer updated, correct?

I can just use the CLI but it's sometimes handy to have a Synaptic-like GUI.

Thanks!

[Schwarzer Kater]

[…]
Is this a new version of repository metadata or something?
[…]
Is there a better Synaptic alternative to use with Kubuntu? Muon is no longer updated, correct?
[…]

Yes.

Alternative? I don't think so. There are Synaptic (GTK) and Muon (Qt). Discover (Qt) anyone? And something like aptitude (which uses a terminal emulator with ncurses)…
And none of all the package manager frontends is meant "exclusively" for Kubuntu, but three of the aforementioned are written for APT.

[chconnor]

Thanks -- so it looks like CLI is the only way to go for now?

Also: wow, I don't know how I haven't run aptitude before -- that looks pretty good, but no way to view/edit repository list, right?

Any idea if synaptic will be updated for the new metadata format? Doesn't seem like there have been many changes in that repo recently.

[claydoh]

Any idea if synaptic will be updated for the new metadata format?

Depends on when it is added to it in Debian,

However, this new repo does not show up in the repositories in Synaptic.

But the repo is still being used, since apt does see and understand it, and synaptic is just a GUI on top of apt.




The spec for this new repo format (Deb822) is from Debian, and Synaptic as package is sourced from them as well as well. I don't even quickly spy any bug reports on it from either.
However, the tool that displays the sources in Muon/Discover/Gnome Software is from ubuntu - software-properties-qt/gtk/common.
Synaptic seems to use its own sources config nowadays - it used to use the Ubuntu one if present - and since it also can't display something that is a Debian spec, and is a Debian tool, no less (even the same version as the latest there), I dunno what to say.

Also: wow, I don't know how I haven't run aptitude before -- that looks pretty good, but no way to view/edit repository list, right?

Good lord, be careful with aptitude. I have seen more than a few people hose their system trying to 'fix' things with it. it is a very sharp knife.


So, tl;dr : managing the PPAs after installing them needs command line work, or text editing if you just want to disable some.
Use ppa-purge to remove a PPA entry *and* downgrade packages back to stock, in the same way you used add-apt-repository.

sudo ppa-purge ppa:kicad/kicad-8.0-releases

To disable a PPA, which is done when one upgrades to a new *buntu release, you just comment it out - placing a "#" at the begiining of the line, as you say with the kicad 7.0 repo you had in your example:

# deb https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/kicad/kicad-7.0-releases/ubuntu/ mantic main # disabled on upgrade to mantic
# deb-src https://ppa.launchpadcontent.net/kicad/kicad-7.0-releases/ubuntu/ lunar main​​

Edit: found some buggies
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...s/+bug/2033949
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+s...s/+bug/2053228
So, *maybe* fixed in Noble?


https://discourse.ubuntu.com/t/impro...in-23-10/35783

[chconnor]

Many thanks for that helpful response!

Good lord, be careful with aptitude. I have seen more than a few people hose their system trying to 'fix' things with it. it is a very sharp knife.

Ah, thanks. Maybe that's why I haven't seen it recommended and I haven't run it before. :-)