4 ms·

Is there a reason that it the website is recommending you install a third party repository in Debian for Wireshark? It is a native package: https://packages.de

by kop316 8y ago

Is there a reason that it the website is recommending you install a third party repository in Debian for Wireshark? It is a native package: https://packages.debian.org/search?searchon=names&keywords=wireshark https://packages.debian.org/search?searchon=names&keywords=w... EDIT: It appears that the website has changed, but still comments about installing from the PPA for newer packages. PPAs tend to be for Ubuntu only, and is not meant for other Debian-based distros.

rhodysurf 8y ago
Maybe to get the latest up to date version? I know Debian can lag behind having the latest packages
- kop316 8y ago
  I can understand that logic, however it looks like it isn't too far behind (2.2.x versus 2.6.x). The PPA points to 2.4.x, (https://launchpad.net/~wireshark-dev/+archive/ubuntu/stable https://launchpad.net/~wireshark-dev/+archive/ubuntu/stable) so even the PPA doesn't have the latest. The official website recommends installing it from the official Debian repository(https://www.wireshark.org/download.html https://www.wireshark.org/download.html). My greater concern with recommending that is PPA's may not be by the official folks, and PPA's tend to be for Ubuntu rather than Debian, resulting in a "FrankenDebian" (https://wiki.debian.org/DontBreakDebian https://wiki.debian.org/DontBreakDebian), and while that PPA seems to be run by the official devs, PPAs can be set up by anyone, which runs into the whole concern of blindly trusting other's code on your system. EDIT: Here is what the official Debian website says on it: https://wiki.debian.org/DebianSoftware#Footnotes https://wiki.debian.org/DebianSoftware#Footnotes (Footnote 1).
- lucb1e 8y ago
  If you want up to date software, you should just run Debian testing (or some other distribution/OS). In Debian, testing lags a few days behind unstable to make sure that things aren't breaking and then pushes the update.
  - IncRnd 8y ago
    > If you want up to date software, you should just run Debian testing (or some other distribution/OS). Telling people to run a new OS in order to get an updated version of Wireshark is crazy. If people only want a single updated package, then it is perfectly fine to include the updated PPA.
    - kop316 8y ago
      PPAs tend to be for Ubuntu only, and is not meant for other Debian-based distros. Ubuntu and other distros will be pegged to other libraries, and mixing libraries on an OS is not a good idea. If you really want the updated package, I would recommend compiling from source. EDIT: I should point out that have a valid point that if you want to run up to date software, Debian is probably not the Distro you want to use. Ubuntu is a Debian based Distro that tends to have more up to date software. However, I like using Debian as I rarely need the most up to date software, and I have never had an update go bad on Debian.
      - IncRnd 8y ago
        Good points. Thank you. I totally get that a FrankenDebian type of system can result from mixing packages from outside of Debian with a base Debian system. What I really wanted to convey was that saying someone should run Debian unstable or some other OS in order to update a single package is not reasonable - that it is far more reasonable for a person to take point updates using a PPA in such a case.
        kop316 8y ago
        I agree with that point. Debian has a repository known as backports (https://backports.debian.org/ https://backports.debian.org/). But they note that it is not as well tested as the stable repository, and it is on an as-is basis, so not all packages are in there. However, Debian Stable is not the distro you want to run if you want the latest packages. I think Ubuntu and Arch are two distros that do that more? I have not looked around for new distros in several years, Debian is my OS of choice.

by kop316 8y ago

rhodysurf 8y ago

Maybe to get the latest up to date version? I know Debian can lag behind having the latest packages

kop316 8y ago
I can understand that logic, however it looks like it isn't too far behind (2.2.x versus 2.6.x). The PPA points to 2.4.x, (https://launchpad.net/~wireshark-dev/+archive/ubuntu/stable https://launchpad.net/~wireshark-dev/+archive/ubuntu/stable) so even the PPA doesn't have the latest. The official website recommends installing it from the official Debian repository(https://www.wireshark.org/download.html https://www.wireshark.org/download.html). My greater concern with recommending that is PPA's may not be by the official folks, and PPA's tend to be for Ubuntu rather than Debian, resulting in a "FrankenDebian" (https://wiki.debian.org/DontBreakDebian https://wiki.debian.org/DontBreakDebian), and while that PPA seems to be run by the official devs, PPAs can be set up by anyone, which runs into the whole concern of blindly trusting other's code on your system. EDIT: Here is what the official Debian website says on it: https://wiki.debian.org/DebianSoftware#Footnotes https://wiki.debian.org/DebianSoftware#Footnotes (Footnote 1).
lucb1e 8y ago
If you want up to date software, you should just run Debian testing (or some other distribution/OS). In Debian, testing lags a few days behind unstable to make sure that things aren't breaking and then pushes the update.
- IncRnd 8y ago
  > If you want up to date software, you should just run Debian testing (or some other distribution/OS). Telling people to run a new OS in order to get an updated version of Wireshark is crazy. If people only want a single updated package, then it is perfectly fine to include the updated PPA.
  - kop316 8y ago
    PPAs tend to be for Ubuntu only, and is not meant for other Debian-based distros. Ubuntu and other distros will be pegged to other libraries, and mixing libraries on an OS is not a good idea. If you really want the updated package, I would recommend compiling from source. EDIT: I should point out that have a valid point that if you want to run up to date software, Debian is probably not the Distro you want to use. Ubuntu is a Debian based Distro that tends to have more up to date software. However, I like using Debian as I rarely need the most up to date software, and I have never had an update go bad on Debian.
    - IncRnd 8y ago
      Good points. Thank you. I totally get that a FrankenDebian type of system can result from mixing packages from outside of Debian with a base Debian system. What I really wanted to convey was that saying someone should run Debian unstable or some other OS in order to update a single package is not reasonable - that it is far more reasonable for a person to take point updates using a PPA in such a case.
      - kop316 8y ago
        I agree with that point. Debian has a repository known as backports (https://backports.debian.org/ https://backports.debian.org/). But they note that it is not as well tested as the stable repository, and it is on an as-is basis, so not all packages are in there. However, Debian Stable is not the distro you want to run if you want the latest packages. I think Ubuntu and Arch are two distros that do that more? I have not looked around for new distros in several years, Debian is my OS of choice.