Re: dselect vs apt-get
On Thu, Aug 22, 2002 at 09:27:48AM +0000, Aurelio Turco wrote:
> Here are quotes from "Debian 3.0 Release Notes":
>
> The recommended method of upgrading is to
> use the apt method with dselect ...
> The built-in dependency analysis enables
> smooth upgrades and easy installations.
> ...
> This tool [dselect] makes safer decisions
> about packages than apt-get.
>
> Is this because dselect installs "recommends" by default and apt-get
> does not, or, is there some other more subtle reason?
That, and apt-get's dependency resolution has some quirks which have
caused problems in the recent past: see for example bugs #135443 and
#137019.
> But does not dselect call apt-get anyway?
Yes, but in a mode which causes apt-get just to read the decisions taken
by dselect rather than taking its own.
> Should one use dselect for all package adding/ removing, to avoid
> having apt-get work at cross-purposes to dselect?
I've always used dselect for system-wide upgrades (whether from
distribution to distribution or just from day to day in unstable) and
sometimes apt-get for installing and removing individual packages. This
works fine.
I keep meaning to take one of the systems I run and start using aptitude
on it.
--
Colin Watson [cjwatson@flatline.org.uk]
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