| Matthew Rosewarne on 22 Nov 2007 01:12:34 -0000 |
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On Wednesday 21 November 2007, JP Vossen wrote: > I'd use something like: > dpkg -L coreutils (...snip...) > I'd use something like: > dpkg-query -S /bin/ls dpkg -L or -S only work on installed packages. dpkg -S won't help you very much if there's something you need but don't know what package you need to install to get it. > 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? The apt-* tools deal with all packages in known repos, whereas the dpkg-* packages deal only with currently-installed packages. APT itself is actually implemented on top of dpkg (though not strictly dependent on it), much like yum is implemented on top of RPM. > 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: (...snip...) > 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. A fair portion of APT is actually implemented in libapt-pkg. Unfortunately, the architecture of APT doesn't really make it suitable to being extended easily, so you see 3rd parties making APT-based tools into their own programs. In general though, there aren't many commands that a user really needs to know. If you know aptitude, that's most of who you'll ever need. RPM had some serious neglect for quite a while, whereas apt was always getting improved. RedHat nowadays is currently revitalising RPM development, so presumably it will get closer to technical parity with dpkg. %!PS: However, RPM will never have Super Cow Powers. Attachment:
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