How can you update less css compiler to the latest version from apt-get?

Are you using it client-side (in the browser)? If so, it's a single JavaScript file, just download it.

If you're using it server-side (from a NodeJS application), or want the lessc command-line tool, the recommended way to install is using npm (the Node Package Manager):

npm install less

If you don't have npm, it's in the Ubuntu 11.10 repositories:

sudo apt-get install npm

or Using Software Center

After a lot of head-hitting-desk moments I managed to solve this one.

Originally I had installed lessc using:

sudo apt-get install node-less yui-compressor

This gave me lessc 1.2.1 from the command lessc -v

Had to manually download the Quantal version from a repo http://www.ubuntuupdates.org/pm/node-less

(this gave me ~/Downloads/node-less_1.3.0~20120310-1_all.deb)

Then:

sudo dpkg -i ~/Downloads/node-less_1.3.0~20120310-1_all.deb

now I have lessc 1.3.0

and:

lessc twit-bootstrap_2.0/less/bootstrap.less > /var/tmp/bs.css

goes smoothly

As of Ubuntu 12.10, the node-less package installs v1.3.0 of lessc:

$ sudo apt-get install node-less
...
$ lessc -v
lessc 1.3.0 (LESS Compiler) [JavaScript]

That is because, it is the latest version available in repositories

http://packages.ubuntu.com/search?suite=all&section=all&arch=any&searchon=names&keywords=node-less

Whatever version is present in repositories you have added, apt-get will install only that version.

However if you want to install different version, you should try for other ways

Just :

npm install less -g

or with sudo

sudo npm install less -g

For checking version :

lessc -v

check your version :

node -v

you have to update nodejs first

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y python-software-properties python g++ make
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:chris-lea/node.js
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install nodejs

uninstall less / and istall again

 npm uninstall less
 npm install less

check version :

lessc -v