Suggestion for new repository of software - new versions, ofsoftware in between Ubuntu releases

[zerohalo]

> I can see that major version upgrades can bring new bugs along with new
> features, but minor bug-fix updates, assuming decent regression
> testing,
> will almost always be more stable.
> 
> As things stand, users using the default "stable" Ubuntu applications
> will be struggling with bugs that were fixed upstream several months
> before. I recognise that tracking point releases of user software is
> too
> much work for the developers, but there must be a better solution than
> just "sticking with the old stuff because it's stable". 

I would like to add my two cents of agreement with Ben's point. If
Debian packages worked with Ubuntu, then Ubuntu users who wanted/needed
the latest version of a certain package not included with Ubuntu in
order to fix certain problems they've been experiencing, they would be
able to download the latest package from a Debian repository and
install it. Of course that would be at their own risk and unsupported
by Ubuntu (so as not to burden the Ubuntu developpers). If they
downloaded something that ended up introducing new bugs or breaking
things, they can just go back to the version shipped with Ubuntu.

But seeing that Ubuntu doesn't work with "native" Debian packages
(though it does with some), if someone were able to set up a repository
for Ubuntu of software updates to Ubuntu packages, and even add in other
packages that are not included at all in the Ubuntu universe, then users
would be able to add bug fixes and functionality to their system without
having to wait for the next Ubuntu release. 

Of course users do have the option of downloading and compiling program
updates from source, but I have found it very difficult to do so without
running into dependancy problems. An example is GAIM. The
GAIM-Encryption plugin in not included in the Ubuntu universe. Trying
to compile from scratch leads to library dependancy problems that I
(being relatively new to linux) don't have the know-how to solve.
Another example is Seahorse, which is now fired up again after being
dormant for a long time and getting some serious work put into it.
Again compiling from source leads to dependancy issues.


-- 
zerohalo