Aptitude vs. apt-get

[O. Sinclair]

Clay Weber wrote:
> On Thursday 13 August 2009 07:21:59 pm Steven Vollom wrote:
>> On Thursday 13 August 2009 04:13:36 pm clay weber wrote:
>>> Steven Vollom wrote:
>>>> What are the differences between the two?  I typed in sudo apt-get
>>>> install updates
>>> If you typed in EXACTLY 'sudo apt-get install updates', then you WILL
>>> get something wrong as the syntax and command for what you are doing is
>>> incorrect.
>>>
>>> when using apt, the command syntax is this:
>>> 'sudo apt-get <do-some-action> <some-packagename>'
>>>
>>> so in the command you used above, you are telling apt to install a
>>> package with the name 'updates', which of course does not exist.
>> When I use sudo aptitude install update it produced work.  I am confused a
>> bit here still, because I thought I used the term updates with aptitude,
>> but because it worked, I assume it was just update.
> 
> That command does produce some output, but if you *read* that output you would 
> see that it actually did nothing, and said a lot doing so :)
> 
>>> so, some apt commands to remember:
>>>
>>> sudo apt-get update (no 'S') will update the package list and look for
>>> updates
>> Does this means all applications that I have installed?  It is just
>> searching for updates, then, is that right?
> 
> Correct
> 
>>> sudo apt-get dist-upgrade will install updated packages
>> And this orders the installation.  Is that correct?
> 
>  Correct :)
> 
not that I am an expert on apt-get or aptitude but I would be really 
careful with "dist-upgrade" as you might upgrade version without quite 
realising it. At least as I understand it.

Normally "sudo apt-get upgrade" should be adequate if you have done 
"sudo apt-get update" first.

Personally I use "sudo aptitude update" followed by "sudo aptitude 
safe-upgrade". Aptitude will hold back packages like new kernel etc if 
you use safe-upgrade. You can then judge if you want any held back 
packages and if so do "sudo aptitude full-upgrade".

It is not really that apt-get is better than aptitude or vice versa, 
they approach dependencies to other packages etc differently.

Hope that helps even if it does not fully answer the original query.

Sinclair