Installing .deb packages with apt-get

[Dotan Cohen]

On 16/05/07, Larry Shields <larry at isp.com> wrote:
> > Will that install a local .deb file? I've no debs at the moment to
> > check, but reading the apt-get man page it seems that I'd have to
> > specify the path to a local repo in sources.list. I'd like to know if
> > there's an option akin to yum's "localinstall" option.
> >
> >
> sudo su apt-get install <packagename> Apt-get will install it where it
> needs to be...
> Now if you find that you want to remove it, type sudo su apt-get remove
> <packagename>...

Thanks, Larry. I know how to install/remove packages with apt-get, but
I'd like to review it's operations before it does anything. Especially
in the case of dependancies.

> Also you can find where a package is by using the command  'locate
> <packagename>'...

Of course. But that's not the detail I'm interested in. I want to know
what will be updated and to what version numbers. Not _after_ the
operation, but before.

> > While we're on the subject, yum lets the user know what it's going to
> > add/remove/update and asks for confirmation first. I see the -s option
> > for simulate, but I'd just like it to tell me what it's doing first
> > and then let me decide. Is this possible? Or do I have to do every
> > operation twice: once simulated, and once for real?
> >
> I've installed many packages, some I did not like, or used after I had
> tried them out, but really never did remove them, since they do not take
> up much disk space...It's up to you what you want to do...
>
> Yes the -s option does simulate, and you would be doing it twice,
> another thing that I never used, if I want the package, then I download
> it...

I'm not talking about trying new packages. I want to know what apt-get
will do before it commits. This is a trivial feature and it's present
in other package managers. Hell, even Windows Update lets you know
what it's about to do and gives the user veto option. I find it
difficult to believe that apt-get forces one to do a simulated install
as the only means of discovering what it intends to do. Is there
really no interactive option?

Dotan Cohen

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