(If you don't feel like reading this whole post, just scroll down to the last paragraph, which summarizes it all for you.)

I was helping another noob (Gorgon) who's using Linux. I was trying to explain to him that different mobs should show up as different colours (at least their names should do so), and he said that it wasn't working for him, that everything was showing up as green. So I walked him through using probe to determine the level of mobs, and suggested that he download the client from the main web site, since he said that he DL'd widget from a link in the forums. He said he'd do that tomorrow (which actually is today).

Well he just logged in again and told me that he got everything working correctly and is now using v0.9.7.1 as his client (the official client). However, he told me that he did do as I suggested, and DL'd the Linux installation from the web site "Download" link, but it turned out to be the v0.9.7 .deb package. So in order to get the most recent client, with everything working correctly, he told me that he had to go into SVN, grab the source, and compile it all from scratch himself.

Now, I haven't used Linux in a really long time, and when I was using it I was just beginning to learn (I'm a real noob on Linux :p) and only remembered a very select set of commands from when I had a UNIX shell account. I wouldn't know how to do what he did, and he told me that it would have been much more convenient for him were the most current version available as a .deb installation package, which I understand means that it's more like a Windows installation file that can be installed/uninstalled and updated.

So I just thought that I should point out that the current installation package for Linux using the Download link from the web site is for the OLD client, not the new one. Perhaps it can be updated? 

Dunno where you have looked, but on the Download page there is an 0.9.7.1 windows installer, and for linux a 0.9.7.1.zip version with the source, ready to extract and build.
I can't find there any deb file...

Alderon I dunno I'm just reporting what a noob experienced with the Linux thing. I think he found the LInux deb installer from the forums form the old widget client page or something and was hoping that there would be a .deb installer for the new version ..........

After being on Linux for about a week, I decided to download and install the Linux client from the 0.9.7.1 zip. It does in fact claim to be version 0.9.7. The files are tagged with 0.9.7, and even when running the client, 0.9.7 is displayed while it is loading up, and it even threw me off for a few minutes. However, after going in game, it actually turned out to be the 0.9.7.1 client, only that it is mislabelled as 0.9.7.

So if anyone thinks it's 0.9.7, it is in fact 0.9.7.1, because it is the widget client (you can drag the GUI about with the right mouse button).

The .deb package is 0.970 official client.  Anchakor (iirc) was the lead on creating it.  The 0.970 widget and 0.971 clients were NOT packaged as debian (and ubuntu variants) packages.  As noted by me in another thread, *perhaps* someone can talk him into creating a 0.971 package and maintain them, but until B5 (with 3d client) I personally don't see it as urgent/high priority.  Just comparing to Crossfire, they have Server, Client, Editor, and Maps packages in the official debian repos.  Major changes (such as the coming login server) would require that the debian package also be updated along with the windows installer and the linux source package.  For B5 we would need to have at least 4 if not 5 different packages....Server, 2d client, 3d client, editor, archs and base maps.  Then there is also keeping them updated in a timely fashion.  When he created the 0.970 deb package, it took him about 12 hrs (if not more) from what I observed though maintaining wouldn't be *quite* as involved, it still isn't fast.  Even MT has to spend a couple of hours making the windows installer.

Sorry for the unreadability and rambling nature of this post.

Quoting myself from here:
As long as development keeps the pace it had in last half-year, I don't think doing the packages are worth doing... (unless somehow automated on server side, but as I said, I think debian packaging system sucks, definitely take a free weekend to learn it...)
I doubt anyone can talk me in packaging for debian...

Anyway I will be doing a pkgbuild for archlinux AUR (arch user repository), which is not a compiled package, but information about the app, where to download it and how to build it... I might as well make a bash script for svn installation...