Unclear/broken installation instructions

[dandv]

The last version of MC in the Ubuntu repos is 4.8.19. Imagine a user new to Ubuntu Linux, who wants to install the latest version of Midnight Commander.

The installation instructions at https://midnight-commander.org/wiki/Binaries aren't that explicit:

1. What should the user do with those "deb" lines?

Anyway, assume the user figures out they need to run sudo apt-key adv --keyserver pool.sks-keyservers.net --recv-keys 0x836CC41976FB442E first, then...

2. ...sudo add-apt-repository "deb http://www.tataranovich.com/debian bionic main". At that point, they'd get this error:

W: GPG error: ​http://www.tataranovich.com/debian bionic Release: The following signatures were invalid: EXPKEYSIG 836CC41976FB442E Tataranovich.com APT Repository <pkg-master@…>
E: The repository '​http://www.tataranovich.com/debian bionic Release' is not signed.
N: Updating from such a repository can't be done securely, and is therefore disabled by default.

Can the installation experience be improved?

[IceMan]

For some reasons gpg --keyserver pool.sks-keyservers.net --send-keys 0x836CC41976FB442E no longer works for me. I'm still working to fix repository signing key but as for now I have no ETA for that.

Anyway you have multiple options:

• use apt-key adv as described on binaries page
• manually install fresh APT key from ​https://www.tataranovich.com/debian/pool/sid/main/t/tataranovich-keyring/tataranovich-keyring_2019.07.07_all.deb
• use instructions from ​https://www.tataranovich.com/repository.html

[IceMan]

Updated GPG repository key become available today on pool.sks-keyservers.net but apt-add-repository is not working even if I specify --keyserver explicitly

$ sudo apt-add-repository --keyserver pool.sks-keyservers.net 'deb http://www.tataranovich.com/ubuntu bionic main'
Ign:1 http://www.tataranovich.com/ubuntu bionic InRelease
Hit:2 http://www.tataranovich.com/ubuntu bionic Release
Err:3 http://www.tataranovich.com/ubuntu bionic Release.gpg                
  The following signatures couldn't be verified because the public key is not available: NO_PUBKEY 836CC41976FB442E
Get:4 http://ftp.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic-security InRelease [88.7 kB]     
Hit:5 http://ftp.ubuntu.com/ubuntu bionic InRelease
Fetched 88.7 kB in 1s (103 kB/s)
Reading package lists... Done
W: An error occurred during the signature verification. The repository is not updated and the previous index files will be used. GPG error: http://www.tataranovich.com/ubuntu bionic Release: The following signatures couldn't be verified because the public key is not available: NO_PUBKEY 836CC41976FB442E
W: Failed to fetch http://www.tataranovich.com/ubuntu/dists/bionic/Release.gpg  The following signatures couldn't be verified because the public key is not available: NO_PUBKEY 836CC41976FB442E
W: Some index files failed to download. They have been ignored, or old ones used instead.

I haven't spent much time on this issue since apt-key adv is working fine

$ sudo apt-key adv --keyserver pool.sks-keyservers.net --recv-keys 0x836CC41976FB442E
Executing: /tmp/apt-key-gpghome.C12VZjWsDg/gpg.1.sh --keyserver pool.sks-keyservers.net --recv-keys 0x836CC41976FB442E
gpg: key 836CC41976FB442E: 1 signature not checked due to a missing key
gpg: key 836CC41976FB442E: public key "Tataranovich.com APT Repository <pkg-master@tataranovich.com>" imported
gpg: Total number processed: 1
gpg:               imported: 1