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50 Comments
- jaygeeze, on 03/01/2009, -1/+35I fell in love with Linux because of Apt-get!
- booyahbitch, on 03/01/2009, -1/+16Dugg for "apt-get moo" I knew you could install a cow on a Linux server!
- 4DFX, on 03/01/2009, -0/+15This really is a nice guide, but he barely scratched the surface of what APT can do.
- nedzeve, on 03/01/2009, -0/+11Not really a valid comparison. Tools like apt-get and yum are front ends to more low level tools like dpkg (for debs) and rpm (for rpms).
But to answer your question, yes, use to front end tool (apt-get or aptitude or synaptic) and not the base tool. - nedzeve, on 03/01/2009, -1/+12That's a shame, because they would quickly find that a package management system is vastly superior to what they're currently using. All that expensive software they keep buying? Don't need it: it's in the free repository. All that spyware they keep paying you to remove? Wouldn't need to: the repository is open source and spyware free.
Of course, if they keep using Windows, it's good for your business, so I wouldn't complain. - notjamt9000, on 03/01/2009, -0/+8Because there aren't command line guides for Windows? Averages consumers would just stick to a friendly front-end.
- rageguy, on 03/02/2009, -0/+8If only fink could handle the installation and upgrade of all of the Mac programs and system like a Linux system with apt can.
The beauty of apt isn't just installation of packages easily, its upgrading all of the programs and the system to the latest/most secure versions with a single command/button press.
apt-get dist-upgrade - srg13, on 03/02/2009, -0/+8Yeah, I just use apt-get and then run an 'apt-get autoremove' every now and then if I uninstall some packages.
- Mardala, on 03/01/2009, -1/+9Well if you know so much you should know that apt is not the only solution to installing software on Linux. There are gui tools like Synaptic if you want an easy to use interface.
- rtaibah, on 05/22/2009, -0/+8"Dont forget to be logged in as the admin :)"
No you shouldn't log in as root, bad practice. Oh and if you did, you don't need to use sudo :)
PS: Sudo != sudo - nedzeve, on 03/01/2009, -0/+7How is a "terminal app" [sic] not a valid feature of a modern OS? What makes a GUI application more modern?
- colonelxc, on 03/02/2009, -0/+6Let me guess... "sudo apt-get install guru"
- evanfrey, on 03/01/2009, -0/+5Aptitude and apt-get deal with dependencies differently. Aptitude will automatically remove a program that it thinks was only installed to satisfy a dependency if you remove the dependent package. apt-get will not do this automatically.
There are other differences in the way the programs attempt to resolve dependencies issues. It's best to stick with one or the other. - inactive, on 03/01/2009, -0/+5FTA, on Aptitude/Apt-get:
"... don’t mix and match on the same system. Pick one and stick with it."
I'm under the impression mixing has no adverse effects on a system. I usually use aptitude, saving apt-get for "apt-get build-dep" (on older systems before "aptitutde build-dep" was introduced) and "apt-get source".
Anyone know why the author would advise against mixing? - salous, on 03/01/2009, -1/+6Nice guide.
- RamezaniK, on 03/02/2009, -2/+7I hate to break it to you but, PC Repair Professional =/= Knowledgeable in IT. I don't want to burst your bubble but you probably know just as little about Linux as your customers do. PC repairs to me sounds like: you know more than the average Windows user and know how to install anti-virus software. Just because you get frustrated when people call their "tower" a "hard drive", doesn't make you the know it all. Linux users don't call out for repairs/tech support and Mac users go to their local Apple store for problems, so I can justify saying all you do is deal with basic Windows problems.
So how is it at the Geek Squad anyways? - censormagnet, on 03/02/2009, -0/+5why not mix and match apt-get and aptitude.. it doesnt seem to cause any issues mixing apt-get synaptic and .. whatever the add/remove link is in ununtu (says gnome-app-install)
its odd the description says how to be an apt-get guru then article says dont use it ;) - trogdor282, on 03/02/2009, -0/+5Yeah, it's super hard to click on the big K and then click on Add/Remove Programs.
Console is like a manual transmission. It's superior if you know how to use it. If you don't like it STFU and get an automatic. - Netrilix, on 03/02/2009, -1/+5Way to take on two major religions at the same time.
/s? - anonymousmedic, on 03/01/2009, -2/+6Is Apt-get better than the RPM method I used to be used to?
- RamezaniK, on 03/02/2009, -1/+4McDonalds is pretty good whenever I get around to going there to eat, but I think I like Burger King better. Such odd questions you ask.... but anyways back to the topic of IT.
While we're dropping credentials, let me point out I'm not just some loser kid sitting around on the internet. I am studying at a nationally top ranked university for Engineering (I'll keep the name out for privacy reasons) and I have 3 years of coursework under my belt, enough to earn my AS in Computer Science.... IF I had gone to a community college, but I went straight to a University instead. In a short 3 or 4 semesters I should have my BS in Computer Engineering. And an MS shortly after.
In a few years I'll be making 6 figures and you'll still be running your business out of your garage because you still wont be able to afford a REAL office. Let's face it, with this economy, this is the perfect time to be in school.
Oh and by the way, I ran a door-to-door IT consulting business out of my home too.... when I was in HIGH SCHOOL. But hey, to each their own.
Best of luck to you and your business. I'll drop you a line if I have any windows problems. - sippykup, on 03/02/2009, -0/+3Here's one that I've never been able to figure out. Maybe someone can help. What's the command to display the release notes for a package? For instance, the Update Manager GUI displays a "description of update" that looks like
Version 1.3.2-1ubuntu7.9:
* SECURITY UPDATE: denial of service by adding a large number of RSS
subscriptions (LP: #298241)
Surely there's a way to get aptitude to display this information in a terminal window. I just can't seem to find it. - sirhomer, on 03/02/2009, -0/+3What I would like to know is what is your computer illiterate grandma doing reading the Linux section of Digg. Please people if you get scared from an article like this you are in the wrong part of the Internet.
Facebook is that way (right past the LOLCat section) -------------> - leamanc, on 03/02/2009, -1/+3yum is nearly as good as apt these days, but you can't beat 10 years of polish. If you're comparing using a package manager (like apt) to manually package installations with rpm, you will surely find it a lot better!
- raydeen, on 03/02/2009, -0/+2Aptitude saved my bacon once when I was playing around with video drivers and totally borked my xorg. And believe me, it's really painful when you bork your xorg.
- sirhomer, on 03/02/2009, -0/+2I was trying to be more comedic then condescending but it doesn't seem to read that way. My preemptive apologizes. :)
To say it in a nicer way: I am saying is Digg / Linux/Unix section is frequented mostly by people who already use Linux and maybe even used it for awhile, so the news that gets mainpaged here often reflects that. Maybe there is a need for a "Linux for newbies" site, but I doubt Digg will ever fill that niche. - nmanguy, on 03/02/2009, -0/+2Haha, yeah, that is such a relevant and informative comment...
Burried as bullcrap. - SteveMax, on 03/02/2009, -0/+1Yum, apt, zypper, urpmi... All of those full-scale package managers are on basically the same level. I'd say zypper has the speed advantage, but it's not a reason to choose one distro over the other.
deb and rpm are package formats, not managers. The idea nowadays is to let the package manager to do the hard stuff, you should never see a deb/rpm file. Both are very comparable, no clear winner here also. However, if you really want to use the packages directly, you're possibly better off with Slackware's tgz: it will let you do what you want and take care of dependencies as needed. If you mix-and-match debs or rpms from different sources using low-level tools such as dpkg and rpm, you will probably get to a dependency hell; there is no possible way this could happen in Slackware. - carrett, on 03/05/2009, -0/+1Also of use: http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/apt-howto/
and of course, man pages (yes, RTFM, n00b). - carrett, on 03/05/2009, -0/+1apt-listchanges?
- bennyboyo, on 03/02/2009, -0/+1Thing is, you don't need to use apt-get. Still it's there if you need it, which is 1000000000x better than Windows.
- inactive, on 04/12/2009, -0/+1Am I a Guru now?
- shawnsonium, on 03/06/2009, -0/+1aptitude moo
Hint: Go verbose. (-v, -vv, -vvv, ...) - jsffive, on 03/02/2009, -0/+1One word: Synaptic.
The one thing they didn't mention is how to list ALL the packages in a repository. Is there any way to do that with apt-get? Because I noticed that Synaptic DOES list all the packages in the repository, and I thought that Synaptic was a front-end to apt-get, right?
Wait a sec... just found it. "apt--cache" does it. Never mind.
Specifically, "apt-cache pkgnames|sort|more" will list it out nicely.
:-) - raydeen, on 03/02/2009, -0/+1It's good to know when you've lost your GUI and need to reconfigure/repair the system without doing a complete reinstall.
- SteveMax, on 03/06/2009, -0/+1Exactly. You will be able to run something without the dependencies you don't use (as long as they're optional), and you will have to manually install everything. Even more, you will be able to install anything: the installer won't complain that package A version X needs package B version Y, while package B needs package C version Z, and package C needs package A version W. There is no way to get a circular dependency in Slackware, even if you're using packages from multiple sources.
Of course, most people prefer to use a package manager; this is possibly your case. My point is that, if you know enough of your system to prefer to use the packages directly, Slackware gives you that with more freedom than any rpm or deb-based distro.
Besides, there will be no segfault if you miss a dependency. The program will quit with a "not found" error, no segmentation fault. - nabil1984, on 06/21/2009, -0/+0apt-get is even more user friendly when you are using Ubuntu
- PHJames88, on 03/01/2009, -2/+2pacman -Rn apt-get
- ScottyMcBaggs, on 03/06/2009, -1/+1Yea, no possible way this could happen rofl, cause you won't know when you missed a dependency... you'll just have to wait for the segfaults to commence.
- TeaForTillerman, on 03/02/2009, -1/+1I think your (Ram..) response had nothing to do with what Vindicoth said. He/She was bassically stating that most users do not know very much about computers, and articles like this (although outstanding to anyone who knows even a little bit about linux) can scare off some users. I am currently in college, and when mentioning linux most people (who are not engineers) know almost nothing about it linux, and think it is all programming. I think that Vindicoth was just saying this article enforces the stereotype.
On the other hand, I do believe Linux is much better to use for basic users as opposed to windows. - oakgrove2004, on 03/04/2009, -1/+0The real question is, is synaptic a front end for aptitude or apt-get? Depending on which, if you use the other at the command line then install some stuff with synaptic, you are unwittingly mixing them anyway.
- tonicboy, on 03/02/2009, -4/+3Every "thumbs down" is a Linux nerd who got his feelings hurt by hearing the truth. Now you see why Linux will NEVER, EVER, EVER become mainstream.
- inactive, on 03/02/2009, -2/+1Shows you what I know I was like what does this have to do with getting and apt or apartment ... Well is it for rent or not?
- tonicboy, on 03/02/2009, -7/+2Nice guide for who? The average computer user would get to "APT is not so much a specific program as it is a collection of separate, related packages." and stop right there. And you wonder why Linux will never reach mainstream when you ask users to use the command line to interact with programs such as "dpkg". Hell, the fact that there is a need for a guide at all speaks volume. Do a Google search on "How to Become a Windows/Mac Installer Guru" and tell me how many results you get.
- nmanguy, on 03/02/2009, -5/+1Whoops, commented in the wrong place
- inactive, on 03/02/2009, -8/+1For all the linux users out there, you should write the guide for "How to be a Huge Linux Virgin". I'm sure there are plenty of Christians that would buy it.
- Vindicoth, on 03/02/2009, -8/+1First of all, I don't work at Geek Squad. I run a small business out of my home. I'm quite knowledgeable in IT but I don't need to prove it to you. My AS degree in Network Services Technology and 10 years of experience will. I deal with more than just " basic windows problems ". I build computers from the ground up and troubleshoot all sorts of hardware problems. I tweak windows at the registry level and know the in's and outs of the entire OS from Windows 95 to Vista.
But you're right, I don't know much about Linux aside from the 1 year I spent running it alongside windows xp. I know that Linux has a full depository of software that's free and open source. But do you know what that means to the average consumer? Nothing, they don't care that it's open source. They're never gonna compile their own binaries and they sure as hell don't know that an open source software can be modified by thousands of other users for their benefit. The average user doesn't want to spend time with package management, sorting through thousands of pieces of software to find which one works best for them. They want to be TOLD what to use and how to use it.
So how is it at the McDonalds anyways? - ylluminate, on 03/02/2009, -9/+1Mac OS X Fink == apt-get... :) Fall in love again!
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