Re: Does “apt-get install” follow “recommends” links recursively?

[Daryl <lists@soldmydata.online>]

On Wed, 5 Feb 2020 16:02:07 -0800
Rich Morin <rdm@cfcl.com> wrote:

> Debian's "apt-get install" command is documented as following
> "recommends" links by default. It also follows "depends" links,
> presumably in a recursive fashion. However, I haven't been able to
> find out if it also follows recommends links recursively.
> 
> For example, let's say that I run "apt-get install foo" and that foo
> depends on or recommends bar. I would expect apt-get to install bar
> and all of its dependencies. However, I don't know whether it would
> also install bar's recommended packages, etc. Can someone please
> clarify this?
> 
> -r
> 

Pick something and look at what it recommends, use apt-get -s to
simulate. Then do the same with one of the recommends. Do you see any
of that package recommends in the initial list?

Or, install something and look at aptitude:

aptitude why bar
aptitude why foo

etc...