Public bug reported:

Binary package hint: apt

If somebody has ever used gentoo, one will see the difference between
"emerge" and "apt-get" (and friends) immediately:

emerge highlights useful information like package names or errors with color 
(on color terminals), apt-get does not.
Especially for longer output like that one:
-------------------------------------------
[EMAIL PROTECTED]:~$ sudo apt-get install mplayer-nogui                      
Reading package lists... Done                                  
Building dependency tree                                       
Reading state information... Done                              
The following extra packages will be installed:                
  libdvdnav4 libenca0 libfaac0 libfreebob0 libggi2 libgii1 libgii1-target-x 
libjack0 libsvga1
  libx264-57 libxvidcore4                                                       
             
Suggested packages:                                                             
             
  libggi-target-emu libggi-target-monotext libggimisc2 jackd ladspa-sdk 
libdvdcss mplayer-doc
  w32codecs                                                                     
             
Recommended packages:                                                           
             
  libggi-target-x libggi-target                                                 
             
The following NEW packages will be installed:                                   
             
  libdvdnav4 libenca0 libfaac0 libfreebob0 libggi2 libgii1 libgii1-target-x 
libjack0 libsvga1     
  libx264-57 libxvidcore4 mplayer-nogui                                         
                  
0 upgraded, 12 newly installed, 0 to remove and 5 not upgraded.                 
                  
Need to get 5856kB of archives.                                                 
                  
After this operation, 14.6MB of additional disk space will be used.             
                  
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y                                                
                  
Get:1 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libdvdnav4 0.1.10-0.2 
[92.3kB]                  
Get:2 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libenca0 1.9-4 [72.6kB]       
                  
Get:3 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/multiverse libfaac0 1.26-0.1ubuntu1 
[61.2kB]             
Get:4 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libfreebob0 1.0.7-1 [153kB]   
                  
Get:5 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libgii1-target-x 1:1.0.1-3 
[15.9kB]             
Get:6 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libgii1 1:1.0.1-3 [235kB]     
                  
Get:7 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libggi2 1:2.2.1-5ubuntu1 
[481kB]                
Get:8 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libjack0 0.109.2-1ubuntu1 
[118kB]               
Get:9 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libsvga1 1:1.4.3-24 [310kB]   
                  
Get:10 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/multiverse libx264-57 
1:0.svn20071224-0.0ubuntu1 [253kB]
Get:11 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/multiverse libxvidcore4 
2:1.1.2-0.1ubuntu3 [212kB]      
Get:12 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/multiverse mplayer-nogui 
2:1.0~rc2-0ubuntu13 [3850kB]   
Fetched 5856kB in 2min12s (44.2kB/s)                                            
                  
Selecting previously deselected package libdvdnav4.                             
                  
(Reading database ... 129716 files and directories currently installed.)        
                  
Unpacking libdvdnav4 (from .../libdvdnav4_0.1.10-0.2_i386.deb) ...              
                  
Selecting previously deselected package libenca0.                               
                  
Unpacking libenca0 (from .../libenca0_1.9-4_i386.deb) ...                       
                  
Selecting previously deselected package libfaac0.                               
                  
Unpacking libfaac0 (from .../libfaac0_1.26-0.1ubuntu1_i386.deb) ...             
                  
Selecting previously deselected package libfreebob0.                            
                  
Unpacking libfreebob0 (from .../libfreebob0_1.0.7-1_i386.deb) ...               
                  
Selecting previously deselected package libgii1-target-x.                       
                  
Unpacking libgii1-target-x (from .../libgii1-target-x_1%3a1.0.1-3_i386.deb) ... 
                  
Selecting previously deselected package libgii1.                                
                  
Unpacking libgii1 (from .../libgii1_1%3a1.0.1-3_i386.deb) ...                   
                  
Selecting previously deselected package libggi2.                                
                  
Unpacking libggi2 (from .../libggi2_1%3a2.2.1-5ubuntu1_i386.deb) ...            
                  
Selecting previously deselected package libjack0.                               
                  
Unpacking libjack0 (from .../libjack0_0.109.2-1ubuntu1_i386.deb) ...            
                  
Selecting previously deselected package libsvga1.                               
                  
Unpacking libsvga1 (from .../libsvga1_1%3a1.4.3-24_i386.deb) ...                
                  
Selecting previously deselected package libx264-57.                             
                  
Unpacking libx264-57 (from 
.../libx264-57_1%3a0.svn20071224-0.0ubuntu1_i386.deb) ...              
Selecting previously deselected package libxvidcore4.                           
                  
Unpacking libxvidcore4 (from .../libxvidcore4_2%3a1.1.2-0.1ubuntu3_i386.deb) 
...                  
Selecting previously deselected package mplayer-nogui.                          
                  
Unpacking mplayer-nogui (from .../mplayer-nogui_2%3a1.0~rc2-0ubuntu13_i386.deb) 
...               
Setting up libdvdnav4 (0.1.10-0.2) ...            
-------------------------------------------

I would propose the following:
1.) All packages like libdvdnav4 or libenca0 should be colored e.g. green
2.) Filenames like .../mplayer-nogui_2%3a1.0~rc2-0ubuntu13_i386.deb be colored 
in e.g. blue
3.) Some other structural text like "Suggested packages:" could be done in red 
or maybe just in bold

These are just suggestions, of course there could be done more/better colors 
for other things, but you get my point.
Of course things could/should be easily made non-colorized by a config option 
and/or environment variable.

There is an upstream bug in debian: http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-
bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=331201 - but it hasn't seen any comments in 3
years. Also Ubuntu is much more concerned about user friendliness for
programs and for that, color in terminal programs is an absolute must.

Also look at the screenshots there: http://lwn.net/Articles/257829/ -
with the colored output it is MUCH easier/quicker to see which apps are
going to be installed in contrast to our uncolored apt output.

This bug should of course also include colored output for dpkg, apt-
cache, etc.

** Affects: apt (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New


** Tags: color

-- 
apt should use color output
https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/262227
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