Installing software the Debian way
Apt Mastery
© Galyna Andrushko, 123RF
Dependency tangles fall away with the Debian package system.
Rarely do you hear about "dependency hell" any more, the term used when the installation of an application failed because it needed a development library that wasn't installed and when each library installed could thrust you further into a proliferation of non-installed libraries, leaving you a whimpering mass of frustration.
Fortunately, this scenario is largely a thing of the past, thanks to the Debian dpkg and apt-get package system. More than a decade ago, Debian developers hit on the idea of installing software arranged in packages of files that included scripts to grab missing libraries automatically and configure the software. The idea was eventually copied by other package systems, so now you generally encounter dependency hell only when trying to install unpackaged applications still in development.
The Debian package system is used by many of the most popular GNU/Linux distributions. Technically, dpkg is the tool that manages the software, and apt-get is the tool through which users interact with dpkg most of the time. Both are used to install software in the online repositories in /etc/apt/sources.list.
[...]
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
openSUSE Joins End of 10
openSUSE has decided to not only join the End of 10 movement but it also will no longer support the Deepin Desktop Environment.
-
New Version of Flatpak Released
Flatpak 1.16.1 is now available as the latest, stable version with various improvements.
-
IBM Announces Powerhouse Linux Server
IBM has unleashed a seriously powerful Linux server with the LinuxONE Emperor 5.
-
Plasma Ends LTS Releases
The KDE Plasma development team is doing away with the LTS releases for a good reason.
-
Arch Linux Available for Windows Subsystem for Linux
If you've ever wanted to use a rolling release distribution with WSL, now's your chance.
-
System76 Releases COSMIC Alpha 7
With scores of bug fixes and a really cool workspaces feature, COSMIC is looking to soon migrate from alpha to beta.
-
OpenMandriva Lx 6.0 Available for Installation
The latest release of OpenMandriva has arrived with a new kernel, an updated Plasma desktop, and a server edition.
-
TrueNAS 25.04 Arrives with Thousands of Changes
One of the most popular Linux-based NAS solutions has rolled out the latest edition, based on Ubuntu 25.04.
-
Fedora 42 Available with Two New Spins
The latest release from the Fedora Project includes the usual updates, a new kernel, an official KDE Plasma spin, and a new System76 spin.
-
So Long, ArcoLinux
The ArcoLinux distribution is the latest Linux distribution to shut down.