Quoting - ([EMAIL PROTECTED]): > This may seem like a stupid question but how do you download a Debian > package? > (Yes, I'm a really low level newbie) > My hangup concerns these preliminaries before performing a > download..... > > 1. Should all downloads be done by root user or can any user do it? > > 2. What directory should be set as the active directory in the > command line?
It's not important. If you're using apt, then you'll naturally be root as you're also installing the .debs you download, and the files will end up in /var/cache/apt/archives. But the downloading itself can be done by anyone to anywhere, and it doesn't matter if the names get mangled (e.g. on a non-vfat DOS disk) so long as you download them as binary. "dpkg -i mangled-name" will install whatever is in mangled-name. Sometimes I download a package to my home directory just to look inside, with no intention of installing it anyway. > I've done a lot of web searching, read many books and haven't found any > information about preparation BEFORE downloading a package.. I have > downloaded a few packages as root user and downloaded to root's home > directory ' /root' but haven't yet tried installing because it just > doesn't seem right to do it from /root for fear of screwing up the > system. I know how to move a package to a different directory if that > will help, but to which directory? > > Is /root a good directory to download into or is there a better choice? /root isn't a good place in principle, if only because it's normally in the / filesystem (with multiple partitions) which is likely to be too small (mine are 32--64MB). /tmp if you don't mind it disappearing when you next boot, or just a subdirectory in your home directory would be adequate. (I use a vfat zip-disk which makes sure it gets taken home for my machine there.) Cheers, -- Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Tel: +44 1908 653 739 Fax: +44 1908 655 151 Snail: David Wright, Earth Science Dept., Milton Keynes, England, MK7 6AA Disclaimer: These addresses are only for reaching me, and do not signify official stationery. Views expressed here are either my own or plagiarised.
