DebianAptitudePackageFlags

Debian Aptitude Package Flags

The current state flag

• Shows the state of the package on the system
  • i — installed: successfully installed to system
  • c — config: package not installed, but configuration files remain
  • p — purged: package has no files on system
  • v — virtual: package does not exist, but another "Provides" it
  • B — broken: dependencies unresolved, fix required
  • u — unpacked: only files unpacked, not configured
  • C — half-configured: configuration failed, fix required
  • H — half-installed: removal failed, must be reinstalled

The action flag

• Shows the change needed to meet current requests (blank): no change needed
  • i — install: not currently installed, get latest version
  • u — upgrade: currently installed, get latest version
  • d — delete: uninstall, don't touch config files
  • p — purge: uninstall, remove config files
  • h — hold: don't upgrade from current version
  • F — forbid: don't upgrade to latest version
  • r — reinstall: re-run installation and configuration
  • B — broken: dependencies not satisfied, fix required

The automatic flag

• Shows which packages are managed automatically
  • If set (A flag), remove package when not needed
    • Only affects aptitude, not other APT programs
  • If not set (blank flag), package is explicitly wanted by user
    • Default behaviour for other APT programs
• Shortcut keys to change selected package
  • m ("manual"): Unset automatic flag when a package is useful by itself
  • M ("not-manual"): Set automatic flag when a package is of no interest
• Much simpler package management
  • Tell aptitude the packages you care about
  • Put the rest on automatic