Info: What is this APT thing in Ubuntu, and how do I use it?

First off, this is the sister thread for YUM, which is basicly the same as APT, only on Fedora. Check it out here: http://www.overclock.net/showthread.php?t=26076

Secondly, only use this guide if you are A: Willing to ask for help if you don't understand, and B: Know how to get a Linux terminal.

The title says Ubutnu, but this FAQ will also work on Kubuntu and EduBuntu, with the exact commands I give you. Versions for Slackware/Debian/Gentoo are in the works.

Now, for the good part.

When using APT, you must first know what it is. APT stands for Advanced Package Tool. Hopefully you already know that a package is the most common file used to distrubuite software on Linux systems. Packages are .DEB files on Debian-based systems like Ubuntu, and .RPM files on RedHat based systems like Fedora. What APT does is find, download, and install packages. So, with that knowlage, here are some example commands:

What I just did is tell the program to run as a root user (sudo), and install the program XMMS (X Multimedia System). Now, sometimes APT will give you an error that some dependincies have not been met. What this means is that some of the files needed to install what you want are missing. To fix this, type:
Substitute "packagename" with the name of your program, and APT will download and install all files the you need to install whatever you want to run.

Every once in a while (every week or so), it is a good idea to update APT's list of avalibale software. To do this, type:
That will connect to all the servers listed in your APT configuration file and download new lists of software from each.

To update a piece of software that is on your system, you would type:
Once again, substitute "packagename" for what you want to update.

It's always a good idea to enable extra repositories, and just follow the instructions at www.ubuntuguide.org to do that, it's mostly self-explanitory. Doing so will give you access to new servers, and thus, more software. After enabling the extra servers, run:
to add the new things to the master list.

Finaly, there is a graphical frontend for APT, called Synaptic. It basicly is a User Interface for APT, and does everything the command line version does, just not quite as fast or easy. I like to use Synaptic o search for a package, and then download it with APT.

That about sums it up, but just remember that thisis a beginers guide to the basic functions of APT. It can do so much that we didn't enev hit on here, so stay tuned for another FAQ in the future. Let me know if you have and problems/questions,

-Chipp