RE: kpackage
ben <benfoley@rcn.com> wrote:
> are there any pitfalls to using kpackage, in kde, for apt-gets? the user
> interface is real easy, making me suspicious, considering the subtle
> complexities of apt-get from the command line.
I have been using kpackage here since the days of KDE version 2.1 on
Potato. I currently use it on my pinned testing/unstable system with
KDE version 2.2.2. During all this time, I have never had it mess up my
system doing the "apt-gets". It works fine for routine updates and
upgrades.
Like any other GUI, it is limited in what it does compared to the
command-line "apt-get" commands, so you cannot get away from the command
line completely. This is especially true when working with
testing/unstable, where you occasionally have to intervene to get the
packages installed. In all of these cases I have encountered, it just
refuses to do anything.
I find it most useful for browsing the list of "available" and
"installed" packages and easily fine-tuning my system. The GUI seems to
add another visual demention that I like for these purposes, plus it
gives the package descriptions & depend/recommend info automatically so
you can get a little info about a package before you commit. Doing this
at the command line is somewhat cumbersome for me. I also use it mainly
for single-package installs...I haven't really tried the equivalent of
"apt-get upgrade" too many times here, so I can't comment on how well
the upgrade function works on 20-30 new packages.
There are other programs which do similar things...appitude, etc. If
you are familiar with the "Corel Update" package in Corel Linux,
Kpackage is the closest thing I have seen to it so-far. The only thing
Kpackage doesn't do is allow editing of the /etc/apt/sources.list file
that Corel Update would do.
I really haven't checked out the KISS, RPM, TGZ, or BSD install side of
it yet. I have only worked with DEBs. Dunno how well that function
works.
I like it and find it useful here as an adjunct to the command-line.
Cheers,
-Don Spoon-
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