Command Line

More actions are available through the command-line interface. The syntax and function of the options in many cases match those of the Debian apt, apt-get, aptitude [4], and apt-cache tools. The developers have also added several useful options to SmartPM (Table 2). The general command form is:

smart <command> <options> <package>

The --help option listed under smart query can also be used with other commands to list options and a few usage examples.

Curiously, the smart remove <package> tool is missing an option in the style of Aptitude's --purge, which completely removes the configuration files. Queries about installed packages and source packages showed inconsistencies in the form of erroneous output. For example, the smart search --installed <package> command should only list installed <package> components, but in reality, it does far more (Figure 4).

Figure 4: The search for gimp returns more matches than expected.

Interactive

SmartPM's interactive interface is in many ways similar to the Apt shell [5]. In a terminal, users can run special commands such as install, remove, reinstall, update, upgrade, check, and fix. Their functions are consistent with the options discussed previously. One exception is ls, which lets you conveniently browse through the list of packages.

To enter interactive mode, type

sudo smart --shell

in the terminal. It is important to note that the software only initially performs individual operations on the cache. To implement the changes on the system, you need to issue the commit command. For example, Figure 5 shows the complete process of removing the mc package.

Figure 5: SmartPM only changes the package buffer first. You need to commit the operation for the software to implement the changes.

A complete list of all the other commands can be obtained by typing help. To exit shell mode, type either EOF, exit, or quit. SmartPM remembers the commands you type but not the scheduled operations. Thus, it behaves differently from Aptitude, which has a memory feature.

Conclusions

SmartPM is a good thing: On one hand, it offers all the features you need in everyday package management in a compact GUI. The GUI impresses with a well-planned design; it is stable and intuitive. Like PackageKit, the program attempts to provide a unified front end for various systems. This makes maintenance of various distributions easier.

On the other hand, SmartPM combines a variety of functions that you will probably know from the Apt group of tools in its shell interface. This mode is perfect for anyone who wants to leverage the full power of the package management functions.

A few small errors came to light in the command line: Not all of the options seemed to work properly. All told, however, the software left a very positive impression.