Aptitude (software)
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| Developer(s) | Daniel Burrows |
|---|---|
| Initial release | 1999 |
| Stable release |
0.6.11 / June 2, 2014
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| Preview release |
0.7.5 / December 8, 2015
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| Written in | C++ (nCurses) |
| Operating system | GNU/Linux, iOS |
| Platform | Debian and derivatives |
| Type | Package management system |
| License | GNU General Public License |
| Website | aptitude |
aptitude is a front-end to the Advanced Packaging Tool (APT). It displays a list of software packages and allows the user to interactively pick packages to install or remove. It has an especially powerful search system utilizing flexible search patterns. It was initially created for Debian, but has appeared in RPM Package Manager (RPM) based distributions as well (such as Conectiva).
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).
In addition to the ncurses interface, aptitude provides an extensive command-line interface (CLI). Even though aptitude is one executable file, it provides command-line functions similar to those of apt- family of tools (apt-get, apt-cache, apt-listchanges, etc.). Aptitude also emulates most apt-get command-line arguments, allowing it to act as a full replacement for apt-get. In the past, it was recommended that aptitude and apt-get not be used interchangeably. This is no longer true, as both programs now correctly track and share a common list of packages that were automatically installed to satisfy dependencies.
aptitude was created in 1999. At the time two other terminal-based APT front-ends were available: the dselect program, which had been used to manage packages on Debian since before APT was created, and the console-apt program, a project that was considered to be the heir apparent to dselect. aptitude was created to experiment with a more object-oriented programming design than that used in console-apt, in the hope that this would result in a more flexible program with a broader set of features.
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