Hey Felipe!

Sep 05 12:43 06, Felipe T. Dorado wrote to Maurice Kinal:

 FTD> libncurses5-dev  ver 5.4.4

That sounds like the right one but ...

 FTD> But when I try to install it dpkg reports that it can't because the 
 FTD> version installed is libncurses5 ver 5.4.9 and ver 5.4.4 is not 
 FTD> going to be installed.

I have 5.4 on an older Slackware install but the new stable ncurses version
is 5.5.  Beats me where Debian is getting those version numbers from but
...

 FTD> Ok, I downloaded libncurses5-dev_5.4-4_i386.deb

Okay the extra number in the version, -4 in this case, must refer to the
fourth Debian build of 5.4.  Looks to me that you need at least the nineth
build or switch to 5.5 and possibly break something that requires 5.4 which
if true then you've just given me one more reson to stay away from Debian. 
All I know is that all the apps here that use ncurses didn't mind the
upgrade and work as before the upgrade.

 FTD> installing it but the output is:

 FTD>  libncurses5-dev depende de libncurses5 (= 5.4-4); sin embargo:
 FTD>   Versi¢n de libncurses5  en el sistema es 5.4-9.

Right.  It is telling you that the nineth Debian build is where you are
today and the fourth Debian build will be a step backwards.  Also it sounds
to me like the nineth Debian build is bad from a development point of view.

 FTD> I think there is a way to force the install but I'm not confident 
 FTD> enough to try it in case I break something else in this stable 
 FTD> installation.

Right.  That can easily happen with Debian.  Too many dependancies that
shouldn't be from my perspective.  I prefer Slackware.  :-)

 FTD> Not that something really important with ncurses would 
 FTD> break but that I might lose track of what is going on  ;)

It might break a specific Debian tool.  Everything else shouldn't mind and
might benefit from an upgrade.

 FTD> -rw-r--r--   1 root root   6314 2004-05-27 17:43 cursesapp.h
 FTD> -rw-r--r--   1 root root  24742 2004-05-27 17:43 cursesf.h
 FTD> -rw-r--r--   1 root root  55908 2004-05-27 17:43 curses.h
 FTD> -rw-r--r--   1 root root  17877 2004-05-27 17:43 cursesm.h
 FTD> -rw-r--r--   1 root root   7906 2004-05-27 17:43 cursesp.h
 FTD> -rw-r--r--   1 root root  44138 2004-05-27 17:43 cursesw.h
 FTD> -rw-r--r--   1 root root   1559 2004-05-27 17:43 ncurses_dll.h
 FTD> lrwxrwxrwx   1 root root      8 2006-09-05 13:02 ncurses.h -> 
 FTD> curses.h

Mine shows for usr/include;
root{at}sixtyfour:/mnt/archives/Slackware-x86_64/slackware/l# tar tzvf
ncurses-5.5-x86_64-1.tgz usr/include/
drwxr-xr-x root/root         0 2006-09-03 20:11:55 usr/include/
-rw-r--r-- root/root      8824 2006-09-03 20:02:28 usr/include/etip.h
-rw-r--r-- root/root     11865 2006-09-03 20:02:27 usr/include/menu.h
-rw-r--r-- root/root      2891 2006-09-03 20:02:27 usr/include/eti.h
-rw-r--r-- root/root     58975 2006-09-03 20:02:26 usr/include/curses.h
-rw-r--r-- root/root     37856 2006-09-03 20:02:26 usr/include/term.h
-rw-r--r-- root/root      6582 2006-09-03 20:02:28 usr/include/cursesapp.h
-rw-r--r-- root/root     17190 2006-09-03 20:02:27 usr/include/form.h
-rw-r--r-- root/root      3713 2006-09-03 20:02:27 usr/include/panel.h
-rw-r--r-- root/root     45070 2006-09-03 20:02:28 usr/include/cursesw.h
-rw-r--r-- root/root      7304 2006-09-03 20:02:28 usr/include/cursslk.h
-rw-r--r-- root/root      1559 2006-09-03 20:02:26 usr/include/ncurses_dll.h
-rw-r--r-- root/root      8430 2006-09-03 20:02:28 usr/include/cursesp.h
-rw-r--r-- root/root     27630 2006-09-03 20:02:28 usr/include/cursesf.h
-rw-r--r-- root/root      3476 2006-09-03 20:02:26 usr/include/termcap.h
-rw-r--r-- root/root      3005 2006-09-03 20:02:26 usr/include/unctrl.h
-rw-r--r-- root/root     19486 2006-09-03 20:02:28 usr/include/cursesm.h


 MK>> as well as the libncurses.a normally in /usr/lib.

root{at}sixtyfour:/mnt/archives/Slackware-x86_64/slackware/l# tar tzvf
ncurses-5.5-x86_64-1.tgz usr/lib
drwxr-xr-x root/root         0 2006-09-03 20:11:55 usr/lib/
-rw-r--r-- root/root     26946 2006-09-03 20:08:44 usr/lib/libpanel.a
-rw-r--r-- root/root     66694 2006-09-03 20:08:44 usr/lib/libmenu.a
-rw-r--r-- root/root    121718 2006-09-03 20:08:44 usr/lib/libform.a
-rw-r--r-- root/root    682518 2006-09-03 20:08:44 usr/lib/libncurses.a
-rw-r--r-- root/root    169306 2006-09-03 20:08:44 usr/lib/libncurses++.a

root{at}sixtyfour:/mnt/archives/Slackware-x86_64/slackware/l# tar tzvf
ncurses-5.5-x86_64-1.tgz lib
drwxr-xr-x root/root         0 2006-09-03 20:11:55 lib/
-rwxr-xr-x root/root    396996 2006-09-03 20:08:46 lib/libncurses.so.5.5
-rwxr-xr-x root/root     71596 2006-09-03 20:08:46 lib/libform.so.5.5
-rwxr-xr-x root/root     13635 2006-09-03 20:08:46 lib/libpanel.so.5.5
-rwxr-xr-x root/root     34510 2006-09-03 20:08:46 lib/libmenu.so.5.5


The symbolic links don't show in the above but are created when installing.
 Most of the above isn't needed for compiling msged only the specific
libncurses stuff.  I was thinking of trimming the above package down to the
basics as I never use forms, panels or menus.

 FTD> /usr/lib/libncurses.a
 FTD> -rw-r--r--  1 root root 116352 2004-05-27 17:44 
 FTD> /usr/lib/libncurses++.a
 FTD> lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root     20 2006-09-05 13:02 
 FTD> /usr/lib/libncurses.so -> /lib/libncurses.so.5

That looks okay.  You may wish to 'ln -s /usr/lib/libncurses.so
/usr/lib/libcurses.so' and 'ln -s /usr/lib/libncurses.a
/usr/lib/libcurses.a' which should take care of older apps that look for
those dependancies.

 FTD> See above. It is beyond me why I have what you mention but doews not 
 FTD> semm to be taken or used.
 FTD> I really find all this not only confusing but also dissapointing and 
 FTD> surprising that the stable Debian should leave me stuck. Or so I 
 FTD> find myself. Unless there's something I have not done.

Looks okay to me but I don't use Debian since I don't like the deb scheme. 
Far too bloated and limiting.

 FTD> I would also like to go LFS or build everything myself but I don't 
 FTD> think I'm ready yet.

An excellent idea.  Take your time.

 FTD> You really think that in the case of Debian the dev people don't 
 FTD> want you to know how they do Linux  :?

I don't know.  All I know is it is far too bloated for my liking.  I hate
deb's and rpm's.  tgz's are best.

 FTD> All right, I've tried but find myself caught up in some dependency 
 FTD> loop. Once again because I've been here before and had to give up 
 FTD> after several frustrating tries.

I hate that.

 FTD> Since husky is important for me I'll insist to exhaustion: compile 
 FTD> or bust! ;)
 FTD> But I'm getting worried as to how I'll explain this to not so 
 FTD> convinced people.

Right.  Looks like you need a new ncurses development package for msged. 
It's the only husky package that needs it.

 FTD> I was planning to use goldedplus but since msged is what is 
 FTD> recommended in husky, that is what I'll install for this point.

ncurses is the problem that needs to be resolved and you'll have it all cased.

Life is good,
Maurice

--- Msged/LNX 6.2.0