Synaptic Package Manager
Encyclopedia
Synaptic is a computer program
which is a GTK+
graphical user interface
front-end to the Advanced Packaging Tool
for the Debian
package management system. Synaptic is usually used on systems based on deb
packages but can also be used on systems based on RPM
packages. It can be used to install, remove and upgrade software packages and to add repositories
.
It also has the following features for Debian
and Ubuntu
only:
, which asked Alfredo Kojima, then an employee, to write a graphical frontend for APT, continuing the work initiated with the creation of the APT RPM backend, apt-rpm
. Eventually Synaptic became used in Conectiva's install process. Gustavo Niemeyer also worked on it, while working for Conectiva. It is now maintained by Michael Vogt.
When one installs a new package, Aptitude, like Synaptic, automatically installs required packages (called dependencies). But when one removes a manually installed package, Aptitude also has the ability to remove the no-longer-used packages that were automatically installed.
Computer program
A computer program is a sequence of instructions written to perform a specified task with a computer. A computer requires programs to function, typically executing the program's instructions in a central processor. The program has an executable form that the computer can use directly to execute...
which is a GTK+
GTK+
GTK+ is a cross-platform widget toolkit for creating graphical user interfaces. It is licensed under the terms of the GNU LGPL, allowing both free and proprietary software to use it. It is one of the most popular toolkits for the X Window System, along with Qt.The name GTK+ originates from GTK;...
graphical user interface
Graphical user interface
In computing, a graphical user interface is a type of user interface that allows users to interact with electronic devices with images rather than text commands. GUIs can be used in computers, hand-held devices such as MP3 players, portable media players or gaming devices, household appliances and...
front-end to the Advanced Packaging Tool
Advanced Packaging Tool
The Advanced Packaging Tool, or APT, is a free user interface that works with core libraries to handle the installation and removal of software on the Debian GNU/Linux distribution and its variants...
for the Debian
Debian
Debian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...
package management system. Synaptic is usually used on systems based on deb
Deb (file format)
deb is the extension of the Debian software package format and the most often used name for such binary packages. Like the "Deb" part of the term Debian, it originates from the name of Debra, erstwhile girlfriend and now ex-wife of Debian's founder Ian Murdock.Debian packages are also used in...
packages but can also be used on systems based on RPM
RPM Package Manager
RPM Package Manager is a package management system. The name RPM variously refers to the .rpm file format, files in this format, software packaged in such files, and the package manager itself...
packages. It can be used to install, remove and upgrade software packages and to add repositories
Software repository
A software repository is a storage location from which software packages may be retrieved and installed on a computer.- Discussion :Many software publishers and other organizations maintain servers on the Internet for this purpose, either free of charge or for a subscription fee...
.
Features
- Install, remove, upgrade and downgrade single and multiple packages
- System-wide upgrade
- Package search utility
- Manage package repositories
- Find packages by name, description and several other attributes
- Select packages by status, section, name or a custom filter
- Sort packages by name, status, size or version
- Browse available online documentation related to a package
- Download the latest changelog of a package
- Lock packages to the current version
- Force the installation of a specific package version
- Undo/Redo of selections
- Built-in terminal emulator for the package manager
It also has the following features for Debian
Debian
Debian is a computer operating system composed of software packages released as free and open source software primarily under the GNU General Public License along with other free software licenses. Debian GNU/Linux, which includes the GNU OS tools and Linux kernel, is a popular and influential...
and Ubuntu
Ubuntu (operating system)
Ubuntu is a computer operating system based on the Debian Linux distribution and distributed as free and open source software. It is named after the Southern African philosophy of Ubuntu...
only:
- Configure packages through the debconf system
- XapianXapianXapian is an open source probabilistic information retrieval library, released under the GNU General Public License . It is a full text search engine library for programmers....
-based fast search - Get screenshots from screenshots.debian.net
Usage
The package manager enables the user to install, to upgrade or to remove software packages. To install a package a user must search for the program they want and mark it for installation. Changes are not applied instantly; the user must first mark all changes and then apply them.History
Synaptic development was funded by ConectivaConectiva
Conectiva was a company founded on August 28, 1995, in Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil, by a group of friends, among them Arnaldo Carvalho de Melo, who was a pioneer in the distribution of Linux and open source software in Brazilian Portuguese, Spanish and English for all of Latin America...
, which asked Alfredo Kojima, then an employee, to write a graphical frontend for APT, continuing the work initiated with the creation of the APT RPM backend, apt-rpm
Apt-rpm
APT-RPM is a version of the Advanced Packaging Tool modified to work with the RPM Package Manager. It was originally ported to RPM by Alfredo Kojima and then further developed and improved by Gustavo Niemeyer, both working for the Conectiva Linux distribution at the time.In March 2005 the...
. Eventually Synaptic became used in Conectiva's install process. Gustavo Niemeyer also worked on it, while working for Conectiva. It is now maintained by Michael Vogt.
Alternatives
In October 2009, when the Ubuntu Software Center became available, Synaptic and other utilities were to be replaced by the Ubuntu Software Center in an unspecified future version of Ubuntu. In Ubuntu 11.10 Oneiric Ocelot, Synaptic has been removed from the default installation, but remains available as a package in the repository.When one installs a new package, Aptitude, like Synaptic, automatically installs required packages (called dependencies). But when one removes a manually installed package, Aptitude also has the ability to remove the no-longer-used packages that were automatically installed.