D.1. The apt System

The apt system is a tool for managing packages and their dependencies. The following programs can be used to manage your apt-based package library:

• apt-get—A convenience program that makes it easy to get and update your packages.

• dpkg—A lower layer of software. Many simple apt commands are translated into more complex commands and executed by dpkg.

• apt-cache—A tool to help you search through the local apt package info database.

• aptitude—apt-get with a little more intelligence. It can be used to get and remove packages when apt fails. It is another convenience layer on top of dpkg.