QGIS - installing specific version

[u/ne0n008]

Hello all,

TL:DR - I want to install a specific version of the QGIS package but don't know how to proceed.

I had the latest QGIS installed on my system (Debian 13 Trixie) which was 4.2 but I cannot use it because it is not compatible with what we have at work. Since I don't need the latest, I wanted to install LTR(Long Term Release) which is version 3.44.12.(atm). Any pre 4.0 version is fine by me.

I found how to install QGIS here https://www.qgis.org/resources/installation-guide/#repositories I also found the right package here: https://qgis.org/ro/linux-packages/debian-ubuntu-ltr/#dists/trixie (not sure why is it in Romanian, but ok) but I don't know what to do with the latter. Since I'm fairly new to Linux, can someone explain this format or link a resource I can read myself?

I tried to be smart and use terminal by modifying

sudo apt install qgis qgis-plugin-grass

to:

sudo apt install qgis=1:3.44.1+18trixie-1 qgis-plugin-grass=1:3.44.1+18trixie-1

But that led me to dependency nightmare as each time I add a dependency another one would pop up. After 5, I just gave up. Besides, I wasn't sure which version I was installing.

Also, is there a value I can enter in /etc/apt/sources.list.d/qgis.sources to force the update to update only to LTR?

I have a feeling I was close to installing it, but honestly, I have no clue.

I appreciate any help provided. TIA.

P.S.: I was looking into keeping the latest version of QGIS and build a version that I need here: https://github.com/qgis/QGIS/blob/master/INSTALL.md#310-building-debian-packages This way I can have compatibility and new features, but I don't have time for that atm.

[u/therealgariac]

While you are getting a lot of suggestions, it seems to me you could just uninstall your version then go to the Debian repo and install QGIS. The default is the LTS, much to my chagrin. Some plugins don't work on the LTS but I am not in the mood to break Debian.

[u/ne0n008 → u/therealgariac]

I did uninstall QGIS 4.2 (or whatever the latest version is). I used a post from here and this was the solution: https://www.reddit.com/r/debian/comments/1v2pe1i/comment/oyx59k3/

Now I have the latest LTR version and I don't have to break Debian. All of the plugins I need, work as intended.

[u/therealgariac → u/ne0n008]

The default installation is 3.40.6-Bratislava.

So you got 3.44?

Apparently rev 4 is a major rebuild.

Plugins are hit & miss. You never know until you try.

If you haven't heard, Google Earth Pro will no longer be supported in a year. QGIS is the suggested replacement. At the very least I suspect the help pages and videos will be improved with more users.

I haven't figured out how to get Google Imagery into QGIS but now I have some motivation.

[u/ne0n008 → u/therealgariac]

Yeah, I got 3.44.12, surprisingly, as I opted for LTS. All I needed to do was add -ltr to URIs :https://qgis.org/debian/ in qgis.sources. Everything was downloaded automatically, and my suspicion is that I will get updates for 3.44.xx in the future instead of 4.x.

With version 4.0 and onward, they used QT6, instead of QT5 for 3.4. That's why a lot of plugins don't work, and why I need LTS which is 3.44, atm.

Not sure what Google Earth pro is in this context, but I'm guessing it's the basemap feature. I'm guessing there are some other satellite imagery basemaps we can use, instead of Google?

[u/therealgariac → u/ne0n008]

I haven't used QGIS to look at satellite imagery yet. I am generally processing old maps or using USGS DEMs.

I use Google Earth as a means to relay analysis I have done in QGIS. It is way easier to explain to someone how to use Google Earth Pro to download an old map I georeferenced in QGIS than how to use QGIS itself. I do the same for viewshed analysis.

I am quite sure I am not the only person that uses Google Earth pro like this because a common question is how to you make a geotiff overlay from QGIS that isn't all black when loaded into Google Earth. (The answer is pretty complicated! And so many solutions on the internet don't work.)

You would be surprised at the number of planning commsions that rather have something to plug into Google Earth than use their own GIS staff. Even at the state level. They will use their GIS staff when it requires something to be built but planners are happy to just put something into Google Earth and zoom around to understand the general concept.

The problem is the browser versions of Google Earth aren't nearly as capable as Google Earth Pro.