Apt 3.0 looks GREAT

Youtube video titles make me sad.

Apt version 3.0 is coming soon and it's bringing with it a snazzy new user interface.
If you're unfamiliar, apt is the package management tool used on Debian-based distros,
such as Ubuntu.

So what does this version bring? It introduces colours, and a layout that indicates much more clearly the
changes being made to your system. The packages and their dependencies being
installed are shown in green in this dedicated section. Suggested packages are shown below,
and at the end there is a nice summary of the effect this would have on your system.

It will warn you if you don't have enough space left on your computer to install the
packages you want, even checking the /boot partition if you install packages that need
to go in there such as new kernels.

This update, by the way, is why apt prints a warning when you try to pipe its output to
another command or a file.
```
~$ apt search asdasdasdasd | cat

WARNING: apt does not have a stable CLI interface. Use with caution in scripts.

Sorting...
Full Text Search...
```

The output of the apt command will change with this update, so let this be a reminder
to use apt-get, apt-cache, apt-list, and those kinds of commands if you need to use them
in a script. Their output is stable.

Why am I talking about this update? Sure, it's nice, but is it really that significant?
Yes, I think so. One of the problems of Linux on the desktop is the learning curve
required to use your system effectively without breaking anything. Beginners are often told
to run certain commands without really understanding what's happening when they run them.
See Linus' (no not that one) experience with installing steam on POP OS a few years ago.

He clearly thought that this output from the apt command is a normal, expected part of running
the command. I think that part of the reason for that is the sheer density of information presented
by the old version of apt. It's a huge wall of text, especially so when the package being installed
has many dependencies. It makes sense that users will never stop to read the information
when it's presented in that way.

This version of Apt is currently available on Debian unstable, though it's called 2.9.0
as it's still in development and isn't ready for prime time just yet.
If you're running Debian unstable, simply updating
your system (with apt itself) should let you use the new version.
Ubuntu users will have to wait for most likely 24.10 as it's not stable enough
yet to include in the upcoming 24.04 LTS. It might get delayed even beyond that,
but I think that's unlikely.

[computerfan]

Seems like they have taken notes from Nala, whitch is great

[AlexusMaximusDE]

Only 26 years old and it's already getting a useable interface? What a time to be alive.

[NeilHaskins]

Wait, the rest of you aren't reading apt's output?

[tacokoneko]

apparently i'm a GIMP master, because, without missing a beat when you said that i opened GIMP and immediately knew i could:
ellipse tool->aspect ratio 1:1->edit->stroke selection
i guess that is kinda arcane LOL!

[aliefe]

first time I encountered your channel. so good content and journalism for below 1k subs! glad that I will have the opportunity to say I was there before it got popular 😎

[yash]

0:56 _apt for interactive use, apt-get etc for scripts_
thanks a lot for sharing this screenshot.

[carlod]

I just saw this video on my main youtube page. Great job, the video was really nice to watch 👍

[sonopro]

Even though I've been using The Gimp for years on an almost daily basis, I have to agree with him. The interface makes the learning curve much steeper.

[desktorp]

Experienced users will take one glance at apt output and know if something is wrong before confirming an installation. I wouldn't necessarily say that I read the entire thing, but I don't just blindly hit Y and let it do anything without looking at the output.

[moetocafe]

not a necessity, for me at least, but is a nice change. Now looks more like RHEL / Cloudlinux package manager.

[justalawngnome]

The output is still difficult to read… Please see DNF for an example of a package manager with a good UI. It’s got 1 package per line, which clearly states which repo a package upgrade is coming from, and what the current and post-upgrade version of each package is. Also, DNF’s command names are much more intuitive.

[funkysod]

Long time Debian user. Unstable of course :) The new apt look is good. Much easier to read what's going to happen if you choose to proceed. Kudos to the devs, as always.

[jazzochannel]

COLORS??? in 2024???? WOW THAT IS GROUNDBREAKING!!!

[NikLP]

Your comment about holding back new users is spot on.

[oldcmputer]

This is fantastic for Debian. Much cleaner and by far the best pkg mgr I've used.

[chocolate_squiggle]

Do people actually read the wall of text output from apt? Maybe not always. But yes, when it says I'm about to do something harmful, and makes me type a phrase to confirm I know I'm being stupid - yes, yes then you read and probably CTRL-C until you understand what it is you're doing. The whole point of that in-your-face phrase he had to type.

[AddictedtoProjects]

As a linux user since the late 90's, I wholeheartedly agree with your views on "usability" or user friendliness not being top of the list of priorities. Which is precisely what gets in the way of adoption rates for Linux.

A lot of the output is just there in case you need to debug something. Which 99.9% of the time none of us do. Write it to a log, and save it somewhere. That would be a much better solution if you ask me.

[Diddz]

the wall of text point is very true because it has stark parallels to EULAs, nobody reads them then it bites them in the ass out of nowhere, clearly highlighting key pieces of critical information is very very nice because you know what to expect at a glance

[qyMC]

I like to see the wall of text. It looks cool. 👍
Also I do look at dependencies sometimes, just for fun. It should be off by default.

[snooks]

forgot what it was called but I remember back in the 90s there was a terminal-based apt frontend that let you play tetris while you were installing packages. thought it was reminiscent of the fast loader minigames from C64 era that let you play space invaders for the half an hour it took to read the damn tape. later on namco somehow managed to patent the concept of loadscreen minigames used in their PS1 titles so others couldn't do that between 1995 to 2015 even if they wanted to