[Bug 262227] Re: apt should use color output

Julian Andres Klode juliank at ubuntu.com
Thu Aug 18 15:39:30 UTC 2011


We're not Gentoo. I do not think that a colorful APT is useful, and APT
does not display most of the messages, that's dpkg. And I do not think
that dpkg maintainers are interested in that either.

** Changed in: apt (Ubuntu)
       Status: Confirmed => Opinion

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Title:
  apt should use color output

Status in “apt” package in Ubuntu:
  Opinion
Status in “apt” package in Debian:
  New

Bug description:
  Binary package hint: apt

  If somebody has ever used gentoo, one will see the difference between
  "emerge" and "apt-get" (and friends) immediately:

  emerge highlights useful information like package names or errors with color (on color terminals), apt-get does not.
  Especially for longer output like that one:
  -------------------------------------------
  maxauthority at mst-ubuntu:~$ sudo apt-get install mplayer-nogui                      
  Reading package lists... Done                                  
  Building dependency tree                                       
  Reading state information... Done                              
  The following extra packages will be installed:                
    libdvdnav4 libenca0 libfaac0 libfreebob0 libggi2 libgii1 libgii1-target-x libjack0 libsvga1
    libx264-57 libxvidcore4                                                                    
  Suggested packages:                                                                          
    libggi-target-emu libggi-target-monotext libggimisc2 jackd ladspa-sdk libdvdcss mplayer-doc
    w32codecs                                                                                  
  Recommended packages:                                                                        
    libggi-target-x libggi-target                                                              
  The following NEW packages will be installed:                                                
    libdvdnav4 libenca0 libfaac0 libfreebob0 libggi2 libgii1 libgii1-target-x libjack0 libsvga1     
    libx264-57 libxvidcore4 mplayer-nogui                                                           
  0 upgraded, 12 newly installed, 0 to remove and 5 not upgraded.                                   
  Need to get 5856kB of archives.                                                                   
  After this operation, 14.6MB of additional disk space will be used.                               
  Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y                                                                  
  Get:1 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libdvdnav4 0.1.10-0.2 [92.3kB]                  
  Get:2 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libenca0 1.9-4 [72.6kB]                         
  Get:3 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/multiverse libfaac0 1.26-0.1ubuntu1 [61.2kB]             
  Get:4 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libfreebob0 1.0.7-1 [153kB]                     
  Get:5 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libgii1-target-x 1:1.0.1-3 [15.9kB]             
  Get:6 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libgii1 1:1.0.1-3 [235kB]                       
  Get:7 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libggi2 1:2.2.1-5ubuntu1 [481kB]                
  Get:8 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libjack0 0.109.2-1ubuntu1 [118kB]               
  Get:9 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libsvga1 1:1.4.3-24 [310kB]                     
  Get:10 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/multiverse libx264-57 1:0.svn20071224-0.0ubuntu1 [253kB]
  Get:11 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/multiverse libxvidcore4 2:1.1.2-0.1ubuntu3 [212kB]      
  Get:12 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/multiverse mplayer-nogui 2:1.0~rc2-0ubuntu13 [3850kB]   
  Fetched 5856kB in 2min12s (44.2kB/s)                                                              
  Selecting previously deselected package libdvdnav4.                                               
  (Reading database ... 129716 files and directories currently installed.)                          
  Unpacking libdvdnav4 (from .../libdvdnav4_0.1.10-0.2_i386.deb) ...                                
  Selecting previously deselected package libenca0.                                                 
  Unpacking libenca0 (from .../libenca0_1.9-4_i386.deb) ...                                         
  Selecting previously deselected package libfaac0.                                                 
  Unpacking libfaac0 (from .../libfaac0_1.26-0.1ubuntu1_i386.deb) ...                               
  Selecting previously deselected package libfreebob0.                                              
  Unpacking libfreebob0 (from .../libfreebob0_1.0.7-1_i386.deb) ...                                 
  Selecting previously deselected package libgii1-target-x.                                         
  Unpacking libgii1-target-x (from .../libgii1-target-x_1%3a1.0.1-3_i386.deb) ...                   
  Selecting previously deselected package libgii1.                                                  
  Unpacking libgii1 (from .../libgii1_1%3a1.0.1-3_i386.deb) ...                                     
  Selecting previously deselected package libggi2.                                                  
  Unpacking libggi2 (from .../libggi2_1%3a2.2.1-5ubuntu1_i386.deb) ...                              
  Selecting previously deselected package libjack0.                                                 
  Unpacking libjack0 (from .../libjack0_0.109.2-1ubuntu1_i386.deb) ...                              
  Selecting previously deselected package libsvga1.                                                 
  Unpacking libsvga1 (from .../libsvga1_1%3a1.4.3-24_i386.deb) ...                                  
  Selecting previously deselected package libx264-57.                                               
  Unpacking libx264-57 (from .../libx264-57_1%3a0.svn20071224-0.0ubuntu1_i386.deb) ...              
  Selecting previously deselected package libxvidcore4.                                             
  Unpacking libxvidcore4 (from .../libxvidcore4_2%3a1.1.2-0.1ubuntu3_i386.deb) ...                  
  Selecting previously deselected package mplayer-nogui.                                            
  Unpacking mplayer-nogui (from .../mplayer-nogui_2%3a1.0~rc2-0ubuntu13_i386.deb) ...               
  Setting up libdvdnav4 (0.1.10-0.2) ...            
  -------------------------------------------

  I would propose the following:
  1.) All packages like libdvdnav4 or libenca0 should be colored e.g. green
  2.) Filenames like .../mplayer-nogui_2%3a1.0~rc2-0ubuntu13_i386.deb be colored in e.g. blue
  3.) Some other structural text like "Suggested packages:" could be done in red or maybe just in bold

  These are just suggestions, of course there could be done more/better colors for other things, but you get my point.
  Of course things could/should be easily made non-colorized by a config option and/or environment variable.

  There is an upstream bug in debian: http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-
  bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=331201 - but it hasn't seen any comments in 3
  years. Also Ubuntu is much more concerned about user friendliness for
  programs and for that, color in terminal programs is an absolute must.

  Also look at the screenshots there: http://lwn.net/Articles/257829/ -
  with the colored output it is MUCH easier/quicker to see which apps
  are going to be installed in contrast to our uncolored apt output.

  This bug should of course also include colored output for dpkg, apt-
  cache, etc.

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