What is a Debian package?

Packages generally contain all of the files necessary to implement a set of related commands or features. There are two types of Debian packages:

* Binary packages, which contain executables, configuration files, man/info pages, copyright information, and other documentation. These packages are distributed in a Debian-specific archive format; they are usually distinguished by having a '.deb' file extension. Binary packages can be unpacked using the Debian utility dpkg; details are given in its manual page.

* Source packages, which consist of a .dsc file describing the source package (including the names of the following files), a .orig.tar.gz file that contains the original unmodified source in gzip-compressed tar format and usually a .diff.gz file that contains the Debian-specific changes to the original source. The utility dpkg-source packs and unpacks Debian source archives; details are provided in its manual page.

Installation of software by the package system uses "dependencies" which are carefully designed by the package maintainers. These dependencies are documented in the control file associated with each package.

The good points about Debian Package handling:
* Installing a package doesn't require manual downloading.
* Installing a package automatically installs its dependencies.
* Single-command upgrading.
* Upgrading won't clobber config files without prompting.
* Purge (completely remove a package) vs Remove (don't delete config files).

Package Management Tools

dpkg- This is the main package management program. dpkg can be invoked with many options.

dselect - This program is a menu-driven interface to the Debian package management system. It is particularly useful for first-time installations and large-scale upgrades.

"APT HOWTO" Command Line package management HOWTO.
"Advanced Packaging Tool, or APT" apt-get provides a simple way to install packages from the command line. Unlike dpkg, apt-get does not understand .deb files, it works with the packages proper name and can only install .deb archives from a source specified in /etc/apt/sources.list.

apt-listbugs is a tool which retrieves bug reports from the Debian Bug Tracking System and lists them. Especially, it is intended to be invoked before each upgrade/installation by apt in order to check whether the upgrade/installation is safe. apt-listbugs lists critical bug reports from the Debian Bug Tracking System. Run it before apt to see if an upgrade or installation is known to be unsafe.

Synaptic is a graphical package management program for apt.
It provides the same features as the apt-get command line utility with a GUI front-end based on Gtk+.
* Install, remove, upgrade and downgrade single and multiple packages.
* Upgrade your whole system.
* Manage package repositories (sources.list).
* Find packages by name, description and several other attributes.
* Select packages by status, section, name or a custom filter.
* Sort packages by name, status, size or version.
* Browse all available online documentation related to a package.
* Download the latest changelog of a package.
* Lock packages to the current version.
* Force the installation of a specifc package version.
* Undo/Redo of selections.
* Built-in terminal emulator for the package manager.
* Debian only: Configure packages through the debconf system.

Gnome Package Manager GDPM
GDPM is a GNOME-based graphical manager for Debian packages. It aims to fully replace the command-line tools apt-get, apt-cache, and dpkg by offering an easy way to install, remove, upgrade, and browse Debian packages.

KDE Package Manager Kpackage
Kpackage is the KDE-based graphical frontend to both .rpm and .deb package formats. It allows you to view currently installed packages, browse available packages, and install/remove them.

Alien converts between the rpm, deb, Stampede slp, and Slackware tgz file formats. If you want to use a package from another distribution than the one you have installed on your system, you can use alien to convert it to your preferred package format and install it.

Aptitude is a text-based interface to the Debian GNU/Linux package system. "It displays a list of software packages and allows the user to interactively pick packages to install or remove. Aptitude is based on the ncurses computer terminal library, with which it provides an interface that incorporates some elements commonly seen in graphical user interfaces (GUIs) (such as pull-down menus). It remembers which packages you deliberately installed and which packages were pulled in through dependencies; the latter packages are automatically de-installed by aptitude when they are no longer needed by any deliberately installed packages. It has advanced package-filtering features but these can be difficult to configure.

If you do not see a package that you want try searching apt-get.org. Once you find the package you are looking for just add the repository to your source list at /etc/apt/sources.list. Run apt-update or reload Synaptic and your all set.

It is also a good idea to READ all of the documentation available for your distro.
"An important part of any operating system is documentation, the technical manuals that describe the operation and use of programs. As part of its efforts to create a high-quality free operating system, the Debian Project is making every effort to provide all of its users with proper documentation in an easily accessible form."
Another good place to look at how Debian Package Management works - DebianWiki http://wiki.debian.net/?DebianPackageManagement "wajig (2.0.25) simplified Debian package management front end" http://packages.debian.org/testing/admin/wajig.html "CheckInstall keeps track of all files installed by a "make install" or equivalent, creates a Slackware, RPM, or Debian package with those files, and adds it to the installed packages database, allowing for easy package removal or distribution" http://freshmeat.net/projects/checkinstall/