Re: Apt vs apt-get [Was: Apt-get Upgrade Problem in Stretch?]
On Thu 20 Jul 2017 at 21:21:08 (+1000), Erik Christiansen wrote:
> On 20.07.17 03:27, Felix Miata wrote:
> > David Wright composed on 2017-07-19 23:33 (UTC-0500):
> >
> > > On Wed 19 Jul 2017 at 14:57:50 (-0400), Felix Miata wrote:
> >
> > >> Did you miss that in Stretch apt is preferred to apt-get?
> >
> > > I did. Where does it say that?
> >
> > It was a long time ago that I first encountered it, and don't remember where it
> > was. I have to think searching 'apt-get vs. apt stretch' will get you hits like
> > what I've run across.
>
> Ah, yes, "I had a dream ... that my preference was ordained from upon
> high." That's the source of all sorts of bunkum.
Agreed. I was beginning to despair of this list while reading through
this thread. But we seem to live in times when evidence matters less
and less, and assertion more and more.
Sorry about the politics. Anyway, AFAICT according to the Release
Notes, apt-get is preferred over aptitude for the upgrade from
jessie to stretch (where this is relevant); according to the
Installation Manual, apt is the tool of choice, though no preference
is expressed over apt-get which is not mentioned.
There is one wrinkle here, however, and it might easily be overlooked:
apt now¹ removes packages from the cache after their successful
installation, whereas apt-get's behaviour is unchanged. This could
explain some people's complaints of losing debs over recent months.
I almost missed this because grepping on "clean" doesn't catch it
as it's not a clean, only a selective removal.
> I've used apt-get for decades, across ubuntu and debian, and it has
> always worked for me. It is amusing to observe pedants furiously
> peddling their own preference, not least when some vague "authority" is
> claimed. Even if it was a bunch of drunk virgins, naked under moonlight
> (whether devs or not), their preference is only their preference.
>
> The rest of us use what we choose, and it is foolish to attempt to
> impose one's will on others. (Not least when one has no idea why. ;-)
¹closing a 15-year-old "bug". man apt warns of the possibility of
changes between versions, unlike apt-get which is designed to be
more stable and hence scriptable.
Cheers,
David.
Reply to: