Changes between Version 2 and Version 3 of WhatIsAPackage

Timestamp:

10/17/12 18:53:28 (12 years ago)

Author:

jdreed

Comment:

--

WhatIsAPackage

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 A Debian package consists of both its contents (generally, the files and directories it includes) and some metadata.  There are both source and binary packages, which we will discuss in detail.
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+== Source Packages ==
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+Source packages consist of a `.dsc` file, as well as a `.tar.gz` file, and optionally a `.diff.gz` file.  The .dsc file contains some metadata and checksums for the other two files.  The `.tar.gz` file contains the actual software itself.  If the software was modified from its original form by Debian or Ubuntu, those changes are represented in the `.diff.gz` file.
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+You can obtain the source package for any binary package with the `apt-get source packagename` command (e.g. `apt-get source xterm`).  APT will download the source package, unpack it into the current directory, and apply the changes in the .diff.gz.  The `dpkg-source` command can do this manually.
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+== Binary Packages
 
 Binary packages have the file extension `.deb`, and are managed with the `dpkg` command.  Given a .deb file, `dpkg -c` will list the files in the package, and `dpkg -I` will display the package's "control" information.  This is the metadata mentioned above.  Let's look at an example:
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 - Suggests is even more lax than Recommends, and is generally not used by any package managers.
 - Description: is a description of the package.  The first line should be a summary, and subsequent lines should be a full-text description, indented by one space.
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+ == Package Managers ==
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+Binary packages can be installed with the `dpkg -i` command, but this is generally unfamiliar to many novice Debian users.  This is because most package transactions on modern Debian workstations take place with a package manager.  The most well known one is the Advanced Package Tool (APT).  Installation of packages is performed with the "apt-get" command, e.g. `apt-get install xterm`.  Package managers take care of installing dependencies for you and streamline the package installation process.  
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+Another common package manager is `aptitude`.  Throughout the Debathena documentation, you may see both `aptitude` and `apt-get` used interchangeable.  While they have similar features, their syntax is different.  Consult the manual pages for both commands for more information.
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