[Sussex] Woody, here I come :-)

Steve Dobson steve at dobson.org
Tue Feb 24 01:25:38 UTC 2004


Thomas

On Tue, Feb 24, 2004 at 12:16:23AM +0000, Thomas Adam wrote:
>  --- Steve Dobson <steve at dobson.org> wrote: 
> 
> > Listen to Thomas - dselect is the spawn of the Devil - do not use it.
> > Use the power that is "apt-get".
> 
> Or even aptitude, which will function as a much a cleaner interface for
> dselect (if used with no parameters) and also for apt-get and apt-cache.

Never really used it.  I find apt-{file,cache,get} works for me, but then
I like the command line just fine.


> > "tasksel" is only really useful if you want to install a set of packages
> > that are normally related to a task - like programming.
> 
> Even then, I would still install the compiler(s) myself.

It was the only task I could remember of the top of my head. :-)
  
> > If you have a broadband link, or time (it will work over a 56K modem - I
> > know that's how I used it for years, letting it run over night) apt will
> > upgrade from potote to woody (or even sarge) without having to use the
> > CD.
> 
> Agreed, CD1 of woody for the basesystem, and then do a net install.

Not if you have any kind of Debian system installed.   On a clean system
I've installed from an old slink CD and as sone as I had an absolute 
minimual system (no GUI, no compiler, ...) and then net installed to
woody.

Unless you have completely trashed the disk layout there is never a 
need to install one Debian version over the other.  One of the reasons
that dselect sucked so much is that the developers never needed it. 
The upgrade has always worked, and since apt was developed it works
beautifully.

> > Edit the file /etc/apt/sources.list so that it looks like this:
> 
> [..snip contents of sources.list..]
> 
> apt-setup
> achieves the same thing as this.

Well you learn something new every day.

> > Then (as root) do a:
> >   # apt-get update
> >   # apt-get dist-upgrade 
> 
> apt-get -u upgrade && apt-get -u dist-upgrade
> 
> the -u is most helpful.

If you're going to use this option every time then put 
APT::Get::ShowUpgraded in /etc/apt/apt.conf.

Steve D




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