Re: [PLUG] Unicode headers on Ubuntu are in libicu36-dev

[JP Vossen <jp@jpsdomain.org>]

>Date: Wed, 21 Nov 2007 14:22:34 -0500
>From: Matthew Rosewarne <mrosewarne@inoutbox.com>
>
> One of the most fantastically-useful programs in Debian (and Ubuntu)
> is apt-file. It downloads the lists of what files are in what
> packages and makes a searchable DB. Unlike dpkg --listfiles or
> --search, it knows about every package in the APT repository, not
> just the packages you have installed.

That sounds cool, thanks.


>Update the list of packages & files:
>	$> apt-file update
>
>What's in libicu36-dev?:
>	$> apt-file show libicu36-dev
>	libicu36-dev: usr/bin/derb
>	libicu36-dev: usr/bin/genbrk
>	libicu36-dev: usr/bin/gencnval
>	(and so on...)

I'd use something like:
	dpkg -L coreutils


>Where the hell is unicode/uchar.h???:
>	$> apt-file search unicode/uchar.h
>	libicu36-dev: usr/include/unicode/uchar.h

I'd use something like:
	dpkg-query -S /bin/ls


Aside from the fact that apt-file will search the entire repo (installed 
or not), but apt*, dpkg* tools only search the stuff you have installed, 
how is it different or better?  Not that it isn't cool, I'm just 
wondering if I'm missing other implications?


This is my only gripe with the advanced package tool (apt); the 
"interface" (and I use that term very loosely in this case) is spread 
among far too many separate, and in many cases obscure, tools.  RPM is a 
lot easier.  You have rpm, now yum, and maybe rpm-build; that's pretty 
much it.  Apt includes but is not limited to:
	apt-cache
	apt-cdrom
	apt-config
	apt-extracttemplates
	apt-file
	apt-ftparchive
	apt-get
	apt-key
	apt-sortpkgs
	debconf
	debconf-apt-progress
	debconf-communicate
	debconf-copydb
	debconf-escape
	debconf-getlang
	debconf-get-selections
	debconf-loadtemplate
	debconf-mergetemplate
	debconf-set-selections
	debconf-show
	dpkg
	dpkg-awk
	dpkg-cross
	dpkg-deb
	dpkg-dev
	dpkg-dev-el
	dpkg-divert
	dpkg-ftp
	dpkg-multicd
	dpkg-preconfigure
	dpkg-query
	dpkg-reconfigure
	dpkg-repack
	dpkg-ruby
	dpkg-sig
	dpkg-split
	dpkg-statoverride
	dpkg-www

Granted this is a bit of an apples to oranges comparison, since a bunch 
of the apt tools above are either APIs or extra third-party tools (which 
existence is a Good Thing).  But it's bloody confusing.  Apt is also 
arguably better than RPM in terms of capabilities, especially for 
seamless upgrades.  But that has a lot to do with Debian policy and only 
a little to do with technical details.


Stepping down from my soapbox now...
JP

PS--I have about 3 pages of documentation and 200+ lines of shell code 
wrapper on the topic of apt/rpm/yum.  One of these days I'll HTML-ize 
that all and post it on my site.
----------------------------|:::======|-------------------------------
JP Vossen, CISSP            |:::======|        jp{at}jpsdomain{dot}org
My Account, My Opinions     |=========|      http://www.jpsdomain.org/
----------------------------|=========|-------------------------------
Microsoft has single-handedly nullified Moore's Law.
Innate design flaws of Windows make a personal firewall, anti-virus
and anti-malware software mandatory. The resulting software arms race
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