Hacking a .deb file

Tech Support Forum Linux, BSD and Other OS's
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One problem with sticking to an older distro such as Kubuntu Dapper is that the software in the repositories becomes old. I am not necessarily refering to KDE or GNOME, but the programs related or not related to them. For example, the version of Kaffeine in the Dapper repositories is 0.7.1. Ancient. I managed to install the newer 0.8.1 successfully via the unofficial kubuntu.org repositories. Now 0.8.2 has arrived and includes some improvements and bug fixes which are vital to me. The Kubuntu repositories do not have the package available and maybe never will.

I decided to use my web browser to download the Edgy version of Kaffeine 0.8.2 from the official ubuntu repositories. However, the dependencies require newer versions of some KDE libs that are not present in Dapper. Now I know that Kaffeine 0.8.2 will run on Dapper, but I need to edit the .deb package to change the dependencies. Is it possible for me to open the ‘control’ file in the ‘control.tar’ archive in the Kaffeine debian file to reflect the versions of KDE libs installed on my computer? Will that work? It’s an ugly hack but it’s much easier then compiling it. :slight_smile:

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Check here: Broken dependencies - editing .deb files? - LinuxQuestions.org

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Cool, thanks Addis. I’ll try that when I get home

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Well I managed to get through the installation by editing the dependencies. Kaffeine didn’t run however, it complained about using older libs. I guess the application was compiled against Edgy libs originally.

I found another way to install it though. I downloaded the Kaffeine 0.8.2 source files onto my Kubuntu VMware testing installation and compiled it. Then I generated a Debian package with a little help from this guide. The installation was a success and the Debian package automatically generated. So I copied the newly created Debian package over to my main Kubuntu box and installed it with dpkg. The older Kaffeine version I was using was automatically replaced with the newer version. I am now enjoying the Kaffeine 0.8.2 experience :smiley: