Re: Stable, Unstable, Testing

[Ken Irving <fnkci@uaf.edu>]

On Wed, Mar 31, 2004 at 06:22:18AM +0200, Matthijs wrote:
> ...
> I think I'm as much a newbie as you are and recognize you're problem
> with the package management. I'm used to a windows environment. You
> want a new application? Go to the website, download the setup.exe and
> execute - you're done.
> 
> I'm not here to start an OS-war (I would probably lose... :-), but
> switching to the package management system from Debian is quite a big
> step.

I've had the opposite impression, that the debian system makes it very
simple to install (and remove) applications.

Step 1, if you want to try application "APP", use 

    $ apt-cache search APP

to see what, if any, packages are available.  Odds are, your APP may
be supported, meaning that one of the many volunteer debian minions has
packaged it.  If it's a new, cutting edge application then it's not likely
to be in stable, but it may well be available under unstable or testing.

Step 2, choose one one of those packages, i.e., APP_PACKAGE.

Step 3, install it using 

    $ sudo apt-get install APP_PACKAGE

(or su to root and use 

    # apt-get install APP_PACKAGE

if you haven't set up sudo yet).

Step 4, figure out how to run it.  Sometimes it's obvious, and "man APP",
"APP -h", or (sigh) "APP --help" may be sufficient to get the syntax down.
In many cases it might be good to see what executables are included,
so something like

    $ dpkg -L APP_PACKAGE | grep bin

will produce a list of runnable programs.  In some cases there may be an
assoicated APP-doc package to haul in the relevant documents, to be found
under /usr/share/doc/APP/ or similar.

Step 5, when you find you don't want it, use 

    $ sudo apt-get remove APP_PACKAGE

or 
    $ sudo apt-get --purge remove APP_PACKAGE

and it's gone.  Unless you use the --purge option, any configuration
adjustments you've made are retained, usually in /etc/APP_PACKAGE.conf
or some similar location.

The debian package system, as dictated by Policy, will identify and install
any dependent packages that might be needed.  It will also leave the app in
a usable state, e.g., already up and running if it's a server app in many
cases.

If I'm not mistaken, using the "go to the website, download the setup.exe
and execute" method, you'll also need to do a bit of research and find and 
install any dependencies yourself.  Maybe it's just me, but

    $ sudo apt-get install SOMETHING

seems simpler than that.

ACTUALLY, THOUGH, I'd really use

    $ sudo apt-get install SOMETHING -s

where the -s option (aka --simulate, --just-print, --dry-run, --recon,
--no-act) lets you know what apt-get is going to do before you do it.

Good luck!

-- 
Ken Irving, Research Analyst, fnkci@uaf.edu, 907-474-6152
Water and Environmental Research Center
Institute of Northern Engineering
University of Alaska, Fairbanks