AptitudeSurvivalGuide
Introduction
Aptitude can give you fine grained package management, and will give you an easily traversed picture of the ubuntu packages available to you, both installed and uninstalled.
Navigating the tree
Key commands available when a category is selected
[ Expand the currently selected category, and all it's sub-categories
] Collapse the currently selected category, and all it's sub-categories
Enter> Expands and Collapes the currently selected category tree.
Key commands available when a package is selected
Enter - show info screen about selected package
Key commands available everywhere
j - move down one line
k - move up one line
q - retreat to the previous screen (and exit aptitude if at the top screen)
The navigation keys (page up, home, end, etc) work pretty much as expected.
You can navigate through the package dependencies in your window into the ubuntu package pool by selecting a dependency in a packages' info page, and pressing enter. Rinse, repeat.
Marking selected packages
+ (plus) mark package for installation
- (minus) mark package for removal
_ (underscore) mark package for purging
= (equals sign) mark package as held
Committing your marked changes
Press 'g' once to see the marked changes
Press 'g' a second time to update to marked changes
Searching
/ (forward slash) search for search term or partial package name
\ (back slash) repeat last search
l limit the displayed packages to only those matching the search expression.
Useful search terms
~ is 'tilde'
~b matches broken packages
~c matches partially uninstalled packages ('configured, but not installed')
~g matches uninstalled packages, and packages marked for automatic removal.
~i matches installed packages
~ahold matches held packages
For example, "l~g~sgnome" will display only the uninstalled packages from the section gnome.
Further information
"man aptitude" at a command prompt.
[file:///usr/share/doc/aptitude/README]