Re: Newbie Aptitude Question about Security Updates
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Jan Sneep wrote:
> I could log in, but every command I could think of to try failed ... the
> only command that worked was "help" and it didn't really provide any helpful
> advice ... so I've started to re-install the OS, this will be the 7th or 8th
> time I've had to re-install it ... :O( ... every time I try to do something
> it has failed on me. Very frustrating. It doesn't "feel" very "stable"
> sometimes.
>
> I haven't a clue what packages the initial install program has installed
> (other than the Desktop Environment, Print Server, Mail Server check boxes
> that are presented during initial install) ... never mind have to go through
> them all and set options ... there isn't a simple way to get the OS to check
> what packages are installed and then go get all the updates and install
> them?
>
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Douglas Allan Tutty [mailto:dtutty@porchlight.ca]
> Sent: April 23, 2007 11:46 AM
> To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
> Subject: Re: Newbie Aptitude Question about Security Updates
>
>
> On Mon, Apr 23, 2007 at 11:10:55AM -0400, Jan Sneep wrote:
>> Wanted to make sure I had all the latest Security & installed
>> applications�updates. Based on some recent threads on this list it looked
>> like Aptitude was the tool to use.
>> �
>> I'm a total newbie ... downloaded and successfully installed my very first
>> Debian OS a month of so ago and thought I should try and make sure I have
>> all the latest updates ...�my preference is for�using a GUI and not
> command
>> line and so I have been using Gnome ... I logged in as usual opened a
>> terminal window typed "aptitude" for the very first time ... read what I
>> thought I needed to from the online manual ...
>
> Probably should have read the _whole_ manual...
>
> Yes, aptitude is the tool to use. However, if you read all the recent
> threads on aptitude you'll see that the _first_ time you use it, you
> need to get your options set (e.g. not including recommends as strong
> depends) and go through the list of packages you have installed and
> setting up the Automatic vs Manual flags.
>
>> questions and gave some dire warnings, to which I accepted whatever
> default
>> presented itself ... I rebooted and now no gnome and when I type it at a
>> command line I get an error saying that it can't find gnome ....
> aaaaggghh!
>> �
>> Now it looks like I'll have to re-install the OS ... aaaggghh ...!!!
>> �
>
> If you can boot, get on the internet, and run aptitude, you don't need
> to reinstall. Follow the above instructions re aptitude, then find
> gnome, select that for installation, then hit g. It will reinstall your
> gnome.
>
> Take it one major app at a time. Gnome is a seriously _major_ app.
>
> Good luck.
>
> Doug.
>
>
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>
Well, in your case you could use aptitude to what your asking for, but I
would recommend to you synaptic, which is a gnome based front end to
apt-get (another package manager). It doesn't do the recommends
installs that aptitude can, but it is GUI and can do updates to your
current packages and it a little easier for a new user to understand.
As for you comment on being stable or not, Debian is very stable, but
you do need to know a little bit about what you're doing, that is why
there are manuals and many web sites that you can use as a resource to
learn the GNU/Linux way of doing things.
Since you are a total newbie, I will give specific instructions for you
to install synaptic.
If you have a Gnome session (You have a desktop and click on things)
then find the Gnome-Terminal in the menus, and click on it.
Then inside the gnome-terminal window, type:
su -
(type the root password)
apt-get install synaptic
exit (or just close the window)
Now you can find the Synaptic Package Manager in the System Menu and can
use that to find other packages to install or to update to the latest
version of the packages that you already have.
As a side note, reinstalling the system is rarely necessary. Most
problems are recoverable without having to reinstall, but for a newbie,
reinstalling is quite frequently faster and simpler.
Joe
- --
Registerd Linux user #443289 at http://counter.li.org/
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