I have added the repositories from Linux Mint LMDE7 Gigi to Debian 13. Which is installed on my computer. Linux Mint LMDE 7 Gigi is based on Debian 13 and I use a lot of the software from Linux Mint. Although you can download most of the software from the Liux Mint website and install it yourself. It is much more easy to be able to install direct from Apt or Synaptic Package Manager. Instead of searching the website trying to tract down all the Deb file for that package. It is possible to ad the Linux Mint repositories to Debian safely and use them without breaking Debian. However because some of Mint's software is not compatible with Debian. The repositories MUST be pined. This is so that they don't over write the Debian repositories and break Debian. So as long as you pin the Mint repos it is safe and the Debian repos will always take priority the ones from Linux Mint. I have not tested this on Ubuntu so I am not sure if it works or not on there. Anyway here is how to ad the Linux Mint LMDE7 repositories to Debian 13.
First of all we need to download the repository key from Linux Mint which you can get from the Linux Mint Packages website. Then search for keyring under Linux Mint Gigi which is the repository we want to add. The Linux Mint Packages website is here:http://packages.linuxmint.com
You need to make sure you download the keyring from Linux Mint Gigi which is the LMDE7 Debian version and not from one of the other versions. Once you have downloaded the keying before you ad the repositories you must pin them first. To do this we need to create a pin file so that the Debian repositories take priority over Linux Mint's. At bit like Debian Backports in which the Debian Backports repositories. Are always pinned at a lower value from that of the main Debian repositories.
Debian's repositories are set to a priority of 500 by Default this is set by Debian when you install the Operating System. So we are going to pin them at 100 which is lower than that of Debian. Which means you will be able to install software from the Linux Mint and Apt will update any new software from there. But it will never over write the Debian repositories. This is called Apt Pining.
How To Pin.
What we are going to do is create a pin file. This is how to do it.
Open Gedit,Pluma or whatever test editer you have then paste the following into the test file:
Package: *
Pin: origin build.linuxmint.com
Pin-Priority: 100
Package: *
Pin: origin packages.linuxmint.com
Pin-Priority: 100
Save this file as linuxmint.pref
Then close.
Now you need to copy the file you just created and paste it into the /etc/apt/preferences.d folder which is a system folder.
So you will need to open it as Root and enter your Root password so you can paste it in.
This is how it should look.
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The file must be save as linuxmint.pref as you can see here in the picture.
Now you need to install the Linux Mint keyring which is a Deb file you can install.
Now that we have added the pin file we now need to add the repositories. Debian 13 Trixie now uses the Deb822 format for the repositories so this is how to add them in that format.
There are two ways you can do this one is to use Synaptic Package Manager. Which has a setting where you can paste the repositories in which is this.
But it is easier to just paste the following into a text file then save it. To do this open your text editor and copy and paste the folowing:
Types: deb
URIs: http://packages.linuxmint.com/
Suites: gigi
Components: main upstream import backport
Signed-By: /usr/share/keyrings/linuxmint-keyring.gpg
Save the text file as the following:
linuxmint.sources
Save and close.
Now copy the test file which are the Linux Mint repositories and paste it into the /etc/apt/sources.list.d folder. You need to open the folder as Root to be to this.
This is my folder here where and this is how it should look.
Because I added mine from the Linux Mint CD. It says at the top of my text file that they are modernised which they were by Apt. When I ran "sudo apt update in the terminal." But you don't have to add that bit if you don't want to. Though you can if you want.
Once you have copied and pasted the text file in that folder go to your terminal. Then type sudo apt update to update your system. The Linux Mint repositories are now added to Debian and you can install software from Linux Mint. From synaptic your software center or using the terminal and get updates for it. The same way you do for the other Debian packages.
These are the Linux Mint LMDE Gigi repositories in Synaptic Package Manager. So the repositories have now been added to Debian.
Here is the Mint Software Manager. As you can see a lot of new software from Linux Mint has now been added to my system.
This Pix the image viewer from Linux Mint and I can install it from the Mint software Manager if I want to.
So yes it can be done and I have also tested this on Debian Sid. Where I have also added the Linux Mint LMDE7 repositories and everything is fine. It makes it easy to install any software that you want from Linux Mint. I have also made a video about this as well.
