Build (backport) an newer Ubuntu package to run on an older Ubuntu version

[ubuntubrian]

OK, I'm really interested inthis so I can backport VLC 0.8.6 to Dapper. I just don't get the how-to!
The first thing is to get prevu, which I did, but how do I install Prevu? Dpkg?
sorry to be a numbnut but I just can't think straight!
Thanks!

[ubuntubrian]

OK, I installed with dpkg after adding some dependencies. I initialized Prevu and tried "prevu vlc" and got an error:
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/bin/prevu", line 146, in ?
BackportFromAPT(sys.argv[1],DIST).backport()
File "/usr/bin/prevu", line 83, in backport
self.prepare_sources()
File "/usr/bin/prevu", line 104, in prepare_sources
raise ValueError("Fetching source package failed. Are you sure it exists?")
ValueError: Fetching source package failed. Are you sure it exists?


Any ideas? I know that vlc exists in dapper and I downloaded the Feisty deb file separately. Can I use that deb to make the backport?
Thanks

[megamaced]

Firstly you need to download Prevu from the Sourceforge page.

Then you install it with "sudo dpkg -i prevu*.deb"

Then you correct the dependencies with "sudo apt-get -f install"

Then you need to add the Fiesty / Gutsy repos to your /etc/apt/sources.list file

Then you run "sudo apt-get update"

Then "sudo prevu-init"

If you want to backport VLC, you would do "apt-get source vlc"

Then "cd" into the new VLC source directory and edit the debian/control file. Example "nano debian/control"

In the control file, you need to strip the version requirements for the dependencies.

Then you run "prevu" in the source directory

Prevu is an amazing tool and without it, I surely would have moved away from Kubuntu Dapper a long time ago! I've lost count of the amount of successul backports I've acheived!

[ubuntubrian]

thanks Megamaced! those are some seriously good instructions and I wouldn't have gleaned that from the initial how-to.
I did everything right until the "apt-get source vlc" so I'll give that ago and post the results.
Many thanks!

[ubuntubrian]

hmmm...
I got this after running "apt-get source vlc"

apt-get source vlc
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
E: Could not open file /var/lib/apt/lists/packages.freecontrib.org_plf_dists_dapper_free_sou rce_Sources - open (2 No such file or directory)

I checked and there is no such directory.

Where does the VLC source directory get downloaded? the whole command above took about 4 seconds so I doubt anything got downloaded anyway.

Here's what's added to my sources.list:
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu feisty main restricted universe multiverse

#Added by prevu
deb file:/var/cache/prevu/dapper-debs ./

Thanks for any help!

[ubuntubrian]

I wondered if there was a package in Feisty or Gutsy for VLC and here's what I found at the page of the source in my source.list:

Page address: http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/dis...rce/Sources.gz
Package: vic
Binary: vic
Version: 1:2.8ucl1.1.5-8
Priority: optional
Section: universe/net
Maintainer: Guus Sliepen <guus@debian.org>
Build-Depends: libx11-dev, libxext-dev, tcl8.4-dev, tk8.4-dev, libuclmmbase1-dev, debhelper (>= 4.0.0)
Architecture: any
Standards-Version: 3.6.2
Format: 1.0
Directory: pool/universe/v/vic
Files:
0f0421daa3a0c24dd2fdb3ae31004b56 631 vic_2.8ucl1.1.5-8.dsc
db4593e7686f1089aef55827271b5564 1113030 vic_2.8ucl1.1.5.orig.tar.gz
f5ce54a676ad8de0e5d879e140724b01 37781 vic_2.8ucl1.1.5-8.diff.gz

[megamaced]

Sounds like you might have a problem with one of the repositories. Can you post your whole /etc/apt/sources.list file?

[ubuntubrian]

Thanks Megamaced-here it is:

# deb http://packages.freecontrib.org/ubuntu/plf/ breezy free non-free
# deb http://deb.opera.com/opera etch non-free
# The above lines were generated automatically by EasyUbuntu 3.0 Beta Release
# The rest of your sources.list follows

deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper main restricted universe multiverse
# deb cdrom:[Ubuntu 6.06 _Dapper Drake_ - Beta powerpc (20060420)]/ dapper main restricted
## Add comments (##) in front of any line to remove it from being checked.
## Use the following sources.list at your own risk.

##deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper main restricted universe multiverse

## MAJOR BUG FIX UPDATES produced after the final release
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-updates main restricted universe multiverse

## UBUNTU SECURITY UPDATES
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-security main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-security main restricted universe multiverse

## BACKPORTS REPOSITORY (Unsupported. May contain illegal packages. Use at own risk.)
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper-backports main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-backports main restricted universe multiverse

## PLF REPOSITORY (Unsupported. May contain illegal packages. Use at own risk.)
deb http://packages.freecontrib.org/plf dapper free non-free
deb-src http://packages.freecontrib.org/plf dapper free non-free

## CANONICAL COMMERCIAL REPOSITORY (Hosted on Canonical servers, not Ubuntu
## servers. RealPlayer10, Opera and more to come.)
deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu dapper-commercial main

# deb-src http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy universe multiverse
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu feisty main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu gutsy main restricted universe multiverse




#Added by prevu
deb file:/var/cache/prevu/dapper-debs ./

[foxy123]

Thanks Megamaced-here it is:

# deb http://packages.freecontrib.org/ubuntu/plf/ breezy free non-free
# deb http://deb.opera.com/opera etch non-free
# The above lines were generated automatically by EasyUbuntu 3.0 Beta Release
# The rest of your sources.list follows

deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper main restricted universe multiverse
# deb cdrom:[Ubuntu 6.06 _Dapper Drake_ - Beta powerpc (20060420)]/ dapper main restricted
## Add comments (##) in front of any line to remove it from being checked.
## Use the following sources.list at your own risk.

##deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper main restricted universe multiverse

## MAJOR BUG FIX UPDATES produced after the final release
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-updates main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-updates main restricted universe multiverse

## UBUNTU SECURITY UPDATES
deb http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-security main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://security.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-security main restricted universe multiverse

## BACKPORTS REPOSITORY (Unsupported. May contain illegal packages. Use at own risk.)
deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ dapper-backports main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu dapper-backports main restricted universe multiverse

## PLF REPOSITORY (Unsupported. May contain illegal packages. Use at own risk.)
deb http://packages.freecontrib.org/plf dapper free non-free
deb-src http://packages.freecontrib.org/plf dapper free non-free

## CANONICAL COMMERCIAL REPOSITORY (Hosted on Canonical servers, not Ubuntu
## servers. RealPlayer10, Opera and more to come.)
deb http://archive.canonical.com/ubuntu dapper-commercial main

# deb-src http://fr.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu breezy universe multiverse
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu feisty main restricted universe multiverse
deb-src http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu gutsy main restricted universe multiverse




#Added by prevu
deb file:/var/cache/prevu/dapper-debs ./

comment out PLF REPOSITORY and try again

[megamaced]

Yes, as Foxy said, comment out the PLF repo, then run "sudo aptitude update" again.