Four Ways to Install .. Here’s Why Aptitude Is Best?

As we install many packages from a clean install, let’s compare the 4 methods for this and software removal, 2 of which are new, included by default.

The first two methods, apt-get and aptitude, are used in conjunction with the terminal. The other two, the Synaptic Package Manager and Karmic’s new Software Center are the GUI (graphical user interface) equivalents.

To delve deeper ..

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apt-get An installation/removal method. As well as installing/removing packages, it installs any dependency files, such as relevant libraries, and removes conflicting software.

aptitude Ditto apt-get. Except. When you remove with apt-get, it doesn’t remember, and so doesn’t remove, any dependency files. Aptitude remembers your installations, so when you remove something, it removes the dependencies too. There is a proviso to this advantage, and that is that any required dependencies are known by your machine prior to installation. To be safe, before installing with aptitude, run a quick “update”.

.. So, the long and short of that is, of apt-get and aptitude, I only ever use aptitude which, BTW, is installed by default with Karmic Koala (it had to be manually installed with prior versions). If anyone can tell me why I should ever use apt-get, I’m all ears. There are those that say you should use either one or the other. Hmmn, just use aptitude then!

Synaptic The GUI equivalent of aptitude or apt-get, and includes other useful tools like the repository manager. I don’t use it in this guide for installations. Why? Other than because it does the same thing, here are the steps involved:-

• Open System > Administration > Synaptic Package Manager
• Search for the program or package ***
• Check the box Mark for Installation
• Click the Apply button

*** This can be very handy, particularly with the resulting package description.

Software Center Essentially the now-deprecated Add/Remove procedure rewrapped for user-friendliness. It’s a method not dissimilar to Synaptic. Again, it takes too long. Then again, it’s pretty, and I for one like pretty .. but generally I prefer speed!

Using aptitude, on the other hand:-

• Open Applications > Services > Terminal (if it isn’t already open)
• Type sudo aptitude install [package] or sudo aptitude remove [package]

.. and this can be simplified even further, with a one-time edit to the bashrc file. Read the next section Terminal Alias Shortcuts with bashrc for more on this (and lots lots lots more) ..

.. but, basically, all I ever type is install [some package] or remove [another]. In this guide though, I’ll use the full syntax except in the bashrc section.

Result: As well as its great dependency file memory feature, aptitude = more time down the pub.

Linux. Built for speed .. and beer drinkers.

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