Re: apt-get vs. dselect?

[Jarkko Niemi <jin@sci.fi>]

> helpful).  Traditionally I've used dselect to manage the packages that I 
> have installed, but it gets rather cumbersome having to scroll through a 
> list of crud, looking for specific updates.
> 
> Is that what apt-get does for me automatically?  I noticed that apt-get has 
> the dselect-upgrade option, and in convesation with a list member, he 
> recommended apt-get to update the kernel packages.
> 
> So which is the preferred way, and why?

I use both apt-get and dselect.

apt-get is handier when:
you want upgrade/install one (or several) specific packages, and you know the 
names of these packages (exact debian names, that is).
like:
apt-get install kernel-source-2.2.17

dselect is handier when:
you just browse what's available in debian packages

I have script which goes like this:

--- begin of script ---

#!/bin/sh

# updating lists
apt-get update;dselect update

# Lets make upgrades first
apt-get --assume-yes upgrade
 
# Then we take all what we want to install
apt-get --assume-yes -f dselect-upgrade

--- end of script ---

I have dialup-net access, so I run this script when I'm online
First goes list updates, and then is global upgrade (I have woody)

I always browse dselect when I'm off-line, and make "orders" ( I use only select 
and quit parts in dselect main menu, of cource I use apt-get access method)

So when I run that script, I get my "orders" at last line.

Of course this is just one way of using best of both ways.

-- 
Jarkko Niemi               Disk error to your favor, collect 200Mb
 jin@sci.fi   ----====(  finger jin@sci.fi or http://www.sci.fi/~jin  )====----