Dselect

How do I use Dselect win LiveCD mode? I always get "dselect: unable to open/create access method lockfile
"

To install software from live CD you have to use have a persistent home installed & use klik. Normal packge installer like dselect & apt-get will not work because the CD read readonly & the whole operating system is contained in a non-editable compressed file.

There's no way to use a trick similar to the one at http://csciapps.northeaststate.edu/k...tration.html#1 ?

Hmmm. I hadn't seen that how to.
It might be possible to make it work, however you would have to make links to every directory where the new application has files...all libraries, executables, etc. The links to the new /etc, usr/bin /usr/lib et al directories containing the new application files would have to append to, not replace, the existing directories or else your existing applications would not work.
I think this is essentially how klik applications work but I could be wrong on this. Check the information on klik, there may be some hints as to how to make your own klik-type installations.

How klik works: First, it determines (using serverside-apt) what packages must be downloaded. Then it downloads and unpacks the deb files to a directory. Then, it patches all binaries to use relative rather than absolute paths for /usr. Also, it creates links from the AppDir to the "real" files, if needed. Finally, it creates a wrapper that sets the paths as required and then runs the app.

In principle, you should be able to "install" all packages that way, at least all that are in debian, by using klik://replacethisbythenameofanyapplication - but some packages need "hand-tuning" after installation....

Greetings,
probono