On Thu, Dec 18, 2008 at 10:15:11AM -0800, Rob Starling <debian-u...@robstarling.org> was heard to say: > On Thu, Dec 18, 2008 at 09:11:10AM -0800, Daniel Burrows wrote: > > (a) save "aptitude search '~i'" and "aptitude search '~i~A'" > > > > (b) run "aptitude install -o 'Aptitude::Auto-Install=false' > > $(cat list-of-installed-packages)" > > > > (c) run "aptitude markauto $(cat list-of-auto-packages)" > > > > If you exceed the maximum number of command-line arguments, which you > > probably will, you can either break them up into batches or do some > > hacks to feed them into the command-line prompt (which means you have to > > figure out how to force the program to make a prompt). Of course, > > breaking the install runs up into batches would mean you have to > > sort them topologically (the implementation of which is left to the > > reader familiar with python-apt and Wikipedia). > > fortunately, for (c), that's exactly what xargs is for: > cat list-of-auto-packages | xargs aptitude markauto
True that. > Carl's point about alternatives is the trickiest part, though. By disabling auto-installation in step (a), you avoid that: you should get only the packages you asked for. That's also why you need to install packages in dependency order (and of course install cycles together). The one problem I can imagine is if some of the packages you want to install conflict with stuff that's installed by default. > Another complication is that you can manually install a package > that is "recommended" by another and then mark it auto and it'll > stick around. Yes, but if you get in that situation at the end of the above set of steps, it's because you were in that situation in the first place :) -- i.e., the recommended package was installed and marked automatic to start with. Daniel -- To UNSUBSCRIBE, email to debian-user-requ...@lists.debian.org with a subject of "unsubscribe". Trouble? Contact listmas...@lists.debian.org
