RE: New to lenny/sid need advice
> i've newly switched from etch to lenny/sid.. i did a smart upgrade of my
> system.. how do i ensure that no configuration conflicts occur when i
> install or remove a package??? i cant install packages like Kinfo contol
> center.... which i used a lot in etch..
There are several package managers. The dpkg program will ensure there
are no issues, but there are occasionally quirks or subtleties.
However, mostly, you need not worry excessively about this. Most of the
time, you will never see dpkg, or use it, although it is the actual
program behind-the-scenes, doing all the work. In Debian, you need to
learn about apt. Apt is the front end for dpkg, and it is worth knowing
about. Installing a package is generally as easy as typing
# apt-get install somepackage
You will also want to know about Aptitude, and possibly Synaptic.
Synaptic is a GNOME GUI, there is also an updated KDE GUI, the name of
which escapes me at the moment. Aptitude is a console UI, based, I
think, on ncurses. Each of these are front ends for apt. Aptitude is
fairly versatile, and it also has a command-line interface. There is an
official apt GUI, it is available for the hardy and intrepid* in
Experimental, it will eventually be released into the wild.
> also when i install a lenny/sid package, what happens to the old etch
> package?? is it removed or still there???
Depends. If you wish, every version ever installed can be kept. Most
likely, however, is that it has been deleted. I believe that only the
last version is kept by default, and not always even that. Be careful
reverting/downgrading. It can be a bit harrowing sometimes, if there
are a lot of dependencies to sort out.
Good luck!
Mark Allums
*Not an Ubuntu reference, honest! Coincidence!
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