Installing Packages

GNU/Linux Desktop Survival Guide
by Graham Williams

Installing Packages

To install a new package (or even to update an already installed package) all you need do is:

$ wajig install <package name> (apt-get install)

(Instead of install you could equivalently say update.)

You can list multiple packages to install with the one command.

The install command will also accept a .deb file. So, for example, if you have downloaded a Debian package file (with the deb extension) you can install it with:

$ wajig install <.deb file> (dpkg -i)

The .deb file will be searched for in both the current directory and in the apt archive at /var/cache/apt/archive/.

You can list multiple .deb files to install.

If the .deb package file you wish to install is available on the internet you can give its address and wajig will download then install it:

$ wajig install http://samfundet.no/debian/dists/woody/css/xine-dvd-css.deb

Sometimes you may want to install many packages by listing them in a file, one per line. You can do this with:

$ wajig fileinstall <filename> (apt-get install)

The file of packages to install can conveniently be created from the list of installed packages on another system with:

$ wajig listinstalled > <filename> (dpkg --get-selections)