Re: apt: exporting and importing list of installed packages

[Tom <tb.31009.nospam@comcast.net>]

On Tue, Oct 14, 2003 at 07:18:04PM -0700, Paul Yeatman wrote:
[snip]
> run
> 	
> 	dpkg --set-selections < <filename>
> 
> to get it back.
> 

I did a test:

#echo "par install" | dpkg --set-selections
#aptitude
<hit the G char>
<it shows: par, to be installed>
<select par, hit - key, quit aptitude>
#echo "par install" | dpkg --set-selections
#aptitude
<hit the G char>
<it shows: nothing to be installed>

It doesn't seem that dpkg --set-selections is idempotent.

Is there a document which explains its semantics?

[To be honest, I've been scared of all package management tools
short of aptitude.  Only aptitude seems to have ACID properties.
The others all seemd a bit hack-ish.]