Re: apt-get to upgrade from hamm to slink.

[Mark Phillips <mark@ist.flinders.edu.au>]

> > So what advantage is there of running apt-get over the more
> > traditional - run mirror, then install using dselect?
> 
> mirror?!?! You want to mirror the entire 700 meg binary-386 directory and
> then install it?? Ik.

Yes you do have a point here.  The advantage of doing this of course
is, that if at any time you wish to install or deinstall a package, it
is there waiting for you.

Now I presume at the moment, if you want to selected/unselect packages
and things, you should still use dselect, but with the "apt" method.
Is this correct?  Later I presume the "apt" front end will be written
which will do away with the need for dselect all together.

Thanks for pointing out all the advantages of using apt-get.

> apt-get does at least these things over that solution:
>   1) Downloads faster than mirror (esp if you are not on a modem :>)
>      Installs from a mirror faster than many other methods (no dpkg
>      -iGROBE)
>   2) Downloads only what you need and no more
>   3) Integrates multiple sources, such as non-us and main across multiple
>      sites with built in fail-over (in v3) and preferencing
>   4) Installation ordering is correct, safe, and advoids the 'hit install
>      till it works' problem some other methods have. Installation ordering
>      also deals with obsolete essential packages and other situations like
>      replacing mailers - screwy 'development' package depends, etc
>   5) Downloaded files are checked for proper md5 hashes, sizes, etc and
>      this is done very quickly + transparently
>   6) The system is carefully checked to advoid subtle breakage that is
>      common with manual dpkg (mismatched libc6/libc6-dev for instance)
>   7) Safe inter-dist upgrades, rexx-slink, bo-slink, hamm-slink and others
>      As well as making dselect safer to use for these upgrades should you
>      choose to go that way (not recommended!)

Why are you saying not recommended?  Are you saying that using the
"apt" method in dselect is not recommended -- or just saying that
doing a full upgrade using dselect is not recommended?

>   8) Safer handling of unmet deps in unstable dists, packages are not
>      installed unless they really will have all their dependents installed
>      too
>   9) Automatic correction and recovery of many common errors
>   10) apt-get install is just nifty.

Mark.


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