Re: test for package dependencies without installing

[Paul Yeatman <pyeatman@ucsd.edu>]

->>In response to your message<<-
  --received from Michael M. Moore--
>
> On Fri, Feb 13, 2009 at 4:18 PM, Paul Yeatman <pyeatman@ucsd.edu> wrote:
> > Hi, I'm wondering if there is a command I can run on a debian
> > package that would test for whether all dependencies of that package
> > are already installed on the system without actually installing the
> > package if so.  This mailing list thread
> > http://lists.debian.org/debian-user/2006/09/msg00292.html is on the
> > exact topic and many suggestions are thrown out but none of which I can
> > prove true.

	
> 
> You can simply look at the package detail in aptitude's ncurses
> interface and see at a glance which dependencies you already have
> installed (also, which recommends and suggests).
> 
> Michael M.

Thanks for the suggestion.  If you are speaking of the interface when
aptitude is run with no arguments, it's unfortunately not
script-friendly yet the real problem is that this is using the package
manager.  I want to perform the test on an arbitrary debian package
file that may or may not be found on the mirrors.

Thanks!
Paul