Written by John James Inkpen
Posted on: 04.08.2009 at 08:21am
Section: Software
On the face of it aptitude, a Debian package manager looks like some RGB monitor and a file manager from Ms-dos.
Aptitude maintains records, installs, updates, and removes packages installed on a computer. It does so being informative as possible. It is able to drill down into a package allowing you to extract what you want, or not. Collapse an update down into it parts, display information such as the maintainer of the update, their web page, size compressed and uncompressed, source, priority and more.
Aptitude also operates independently from its menu, allowing commands to be issued at the command line. e.g. aptitude install thispackage, aptitude remove thispackage or aptitude update and more.
I like the ugly thing – looks like the old Peter Norton's, Ms-Dos Norton Commander.
Aptitude Menu important keys
Control t (or F10) activate and deactivate menu, there you can Undo or Cancel pending actions
Control u Undo the last actions or a set of actions
Note: using a terminal other than xterm, F10 will exit a terminal session
Below Aptitude Menu, are two information screens, the top shows Upgradeable Packages if any (a number will appear) if not, no window
Installed Packages
Not Installed Packages
Virtual Packages
Tasks
The second window will display additional information pertaining to what is being displayed from inside the first window.
Aptitude most used keys
q Quit
? Display help
f Clear the list of new packages (f for forget)
k or up arrow Move up
j or down arrow Move down
Enter Key expand or collapse a group of package
+ install or upgrade a package or remove its held state
- Remove a package
u Update the list of available packages
U Mark all upgradeable packages to be Upgraded
g Perform all pending operations, removals, and upgrades
/ Perform a search
\ Perform a backward search
Home, PageUp and PageDown
To use Aptitude in its Ncurses Based State (Menu) or TUI (text user interface)
press u (update the list of packages) listed in /etc/apt/sources.list file and if any updates they are listed. Within that update container display you can browse through the listed package(s) to receive the listed update(s) enter shift+U, (Mark All upgradeable packages to be upgraded) displayed on your terminal widow, press g (Perform all pending operations and modify if required) press g again to starts the process (download) when complete press enter. Remember that sometimes one has to resolve problems, or there is a error you can cancel it from the Menu Actions section (ctrl+t or F10) and get back at it again.
Aptitude may appear a little odd and confusing at first, but it only takes a couple minutes to get a feel for it and learn the basic needs. It indeed may be too much of a tool for my needs, apt-get or dpkg for that matter. I seldom use apps/utils/tools in there entirety, but I'm trying.
Within Aptitude shift+? Provides detailed information regarding action keys, function, man aptitude within a terminal, and aptitude manual page in GNOME Desktop help. Get an attitude with aptitude.
Regards,
<jinkpen> <at telus dot net>