Pinning Repos for non-mixer?

[mattruby]

I want to use non-mixer, which isn't included in the UbuntuStudio APT repository. The developers don't package it for Ubuntu (or for Debian), but some other project packagers do, tracking the latest (and perhaps their own further patched) version. It looks like ppa:kxstudio-team has a good package of it. But that PPA includes lots of packages that conflict with packages in UbuntuStudio, and I want only non-mixer (and non-daw, and maybe the other non-* packages not included in UbuntuStudio). If I add that PPA but don't do anything else, APT (eg. Software Updater) tells me that dozens of updates are available that I can upgrade from. I don't want to get notified whenever any updates are available except to non-*; I don't want to have to deselect all the other updates but non-*; I don't want to have to use Synaptic and pin the version of every conflicting package in kxstudio (what happens when they add a new package that conflicts?). I just want to rely on Software updater to upgrade only the non-* packages that kxstudio advertises.

The usual technique for deprioritizing a repo so APT ignores later revisions to packages in it, except ones not overridden by the higher priority repo(s), is to pin it. So I followed the pinning HowTo. But the pinning configs don't seem to be getting used by APT.

# Before adding kxstudio PPA:
sudo apt-cache policy alsa-base
alsa-base:
  Installed: 1.0.25+dfsg-0ubuntu3
  Candidate: 1.0.25+dfsg-0ubuntu3
  Version table:
 *** 1.0.25+dfsg-0ubuntu3 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ quantal/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

# Add kxstudio PPA:
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:kxstudio-team/ppa
#...lots of advisory info from the PPA...
More info: https://launchpad.net/~kxstudio-team/+archive/ppa
Press [ENTER] to continue or ctrl-c to cancel adding it

# I press Enter
# ...gpg processes key into keyring, including 'public key "Launchpad PPA for KXStudio Team" imported'...
OK

# Add pinning preferences:
sudo vi /etc/apt/preferences.d/kxstudio-team-ppa-quantal-400
Package: *
Pin: release o=LP-PPA-kxstudio-team-ppa
Pin-Priority: 400
:wq

# Apply changes:
apt-get update
# ...successful update...

# Check priorities of a conflicting package:
sudo apt-cache policy alsa-basealsa-base:
  Installed: 1.0.25+dfsg-0ubuntu3
  Candidate: 1.0.25+dfsg-0ubuntu3+fixed1
  Version table:
     1.0.25+dfsg-0ubuntu3+fixed1 0
        500 http://ppa.launchpad.net/kxstudio-team/ppa/ubuntu/ quantal/main amd64 Packages
 *** 1.0.25+dfsg-0ubuntu3 0
        500 http://us.archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ quantal/main amd64 Packages
        100 /var/lib/dpkg/status

It didn't work: APT wants to upgrade alsa-base from the kxstudio repo, and the kxstudio repo package still has a priority of 500, the same as the UbuntuStudio repo package. Software Updater wants to upgrade dozens of packages that conflict with UbuntuStudio, but I don't' want to.

What should I do to make this work properly?

[sisco311]

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Thread Closed.

Duplicate is here: http://ubuntuforums.org/showthread.php?t=2105788