Better Package Manager than Aptitude for Raspian Wheezy?

[wingsoflyra]

I'm wondering if there is a better package manager than what comes in the Raspian Wheezy image?
Aptitude is giving me fits and I have spent lots of time with it to little or no success. I find it way too arcane. If anyone can point me to a better one I would sure appreciate it. This has been the biggest
impediment to get going.

Thanks,

Don Allen
don@wingsoflyra.com
wingsoflyra.blogspot.com

[JeremyF]

Maybe Synaptic? (you have to run it in a GUI though)

Get with

Code: Select all

sudo apt-get install synaptic

(Yes I know you have to use the package manager you hate to get it)

[wingsoflyra]

Thank you. I have been using apt-get install "package name" all afternoon to install and
upgrade packages, I downloaded the entire 'package.txt' list so I can see ALL the wheezy based packages and have been doing that instead of trying to navigate through Aptitude.

I am installing Synaptic on the pi as I type this. Will see how that works.

[wingsoflyra]

Ok, I installed Synaptic but as it was installing it caused a whole list of issues with Python, which has never gotten resolved. Each package I install after this point runs directly into trying to resolve the dependency issues with the same Python modules/libs so it has turned into a real big mess. I did try running Synaptic and it works but now I have at least 12 broken python files and I do not know enough on how to fix any of this. Is there a "repair or fix" to apt-get to correct the issues with Python? This problem is severe enough I'm considering wiping the entire image and starting over from scratch
and *not* messing with Synaptic at all. I just noticed that the pi will *not* allow me to login as pi and using the default password of 'raspberry". It just flat out rejects it. I think something got seriously hosed with python and I do not know how to fix the broken parts.

This is definitely a learning process. I do not believe that Synaptic is totally compatible with Wheezy.

Don

[blavery]

Synaptic works, and well. I use either apt-get or synaptic as I choose, because I also see aptitude as appallingly arcane. Aptitude is a total put-off to a linux stranger: apt-get on its own is way more intuitive/learnable than aptitude. I won't show aptitude to my class.

Are you sure you have done apt-get update & apt-get upgrade firstly, to match your local indexing with what's really "out there" on the repository?

[wingsoflyra]

Synaptic does work well but I have actually been having much better luck using
'apt-get' as it's more reliable. I find the Aptitude manager to be very arcane,
old school and not at all 'user-friendly'. I won't be using it at all anymore, It's
very tedious. I would not recommend Aptitude to any one. I believe it
should not be on the released image at all. It my opinion, it is a very
poor choice to use as a package manager. Plus it even looks very crude
and something from linux distros about 1999 or early 2000. It is not intuitive at all.

I have played around enough to have to re-image the SD card at least 3 times. Upon
each new image run, I update/upgrade first using apt-get.

SD cards are very picky and not always the best medium to use. Two re-images
were to correct a kernel panic caused by me not shutting down correctly (yes, you WILL
re-image a card if this isn't done properly).

On Shutdown - I have discovered that with using a hub, remove the power supply to the hub first,
then the 5v power to the pi, otherwise the hub keeps the pi powered up all by itself.

I have made progress this week - I got a wifi dongle installed successfully without having to
alter any config files. It works. Now to find a browser for the pi that actually supports HTML 5
so I can SEE Youtube videos. I give up on Flash. It is still one of the most unreliable products on the planet with regular "flash crashes" in my w7 Firefox setup. I have set the overclock to Turbo in raspi-config but have yet to experience greater speed. With the titanium metal case I have on the pi, it wicks away the heat and keeps the pi at 42 celsius all evening. Even with re-imaging and backing
up cards, Life is good. I am learning a lot.