gawk, rsync, mirror

[<mcclosk@ling.ucsc.edu>]

Hello. I have two questions that I would appreciate some advice on, if
anyone has time.  I'm running slink with a 2.0.36 kernel.

[1] I'd like to try `gawk' instead of `mawk' (currently
    installed). But `mawk' can't be removed by dpkg since basefiles
    depends on it. Is apt smart enough to handle this situation? That
    is, if I try to: apt-get install gawk will it do the right thing?

[2] I'd also like to install a package to help me keep 3
    directory-systems (a small data-base that I maintain) on 3
    different machines in sync with one another. I gather that both
    `rsync' and `mirror' will do this. Is there anyone who can give me
    a sense of what the pluses and minuses of the two programs are?
    `Rsync' seems to be much smaller.

Thanks very much for any advice,

Jim