[Aptitude-devel] apt-get dist-upgrade vs aptitude full-upgrade, aka the apt-get jihad

[Tom Roche]

Tom Roche Sun, 12 Jul 2015 12:20:51 -0400[1]
>> why not tell users (via [the Debian Reference][2]) that

>> * `apt-get dist-upgrade` is better for non-interactive usecases, especially for beginners lacking sufficient knowledge of Debian packaging and package dependencies.

>> * `aptitude dist-upgrade` is better for interactive usecases (e.g., more complicated upgrades from less-standard repositories), provided one has the knowledge required to interact successfully.

>> * `apt-get` and `aptitude` use different package dependency resolvers for different usecases, but one is not more robust than the other.

>> * bug#=411280[3] is no longer relevant.

Axel Beckert Mon, 13 Jul 2015 11:14:44 +0200[4]
> When writing installation instructions for your software on Debian, you should always use apt-get.

> (The statement was not targetted towards Debian's own documentation.)

However I was plainly discussing "Debian's own documentation." So my recommendation stands: some representative of the `aptitude` developers, possibly accompanied by some of the `apt` developers (some of whom seem to be on this list), should communicate the facts above (which Beckert corroborates[5]) to the Debian Reference maintainer(s) by the recommended mechanism:

3.6. Bug reports on [the Debian Reference][6]
>>> Please file bug reports on the debian-reference package using reportbug(1) if you find any issues on this document. Please include correction suggestion by "diff -u" to the plain text version or to the source.

I'll cheerfully contribute "correction suggestion" if desired. I'd `reportbug` on the DR myself, except that I'm just "some guy on the internet," and IMHO this really should be done by more knowledgeable people, such as `aptitude` and `apt` developers.

TIA, Tom Roche <Tom_Roche at pobox.com>

[1]: http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/aptitude-devel/2015-July/004860.html
[2]: https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch02.en.html#_literal_apt_get_literal_literal_apt_cache_literal_vs_literal_aptitude_literal
[3]: http://bugs.debian.org/411280
[4]: http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/aptitude-devel/2015-July/004861.html
[5]: http://lists.alioth.debian.org/pipermail/aptitude-devel/2015-July/004859.html
[6]: https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/pr01.en.html#_bug_reports_on_this_document