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This week’s open source software highlight is Synaptic. Learn what this good old package manager can do that the modern software managers cannot.
What is Synaptic package manager?
Synaptic is a lightweight GUI front end to apt package management system used in Debian, Ubuntu, Linux Mint and many other Debian/Ubuntu based distributions.
There was a time when Synaptic was the default graphical software manager on almost all Debian-based Linux distributions. It was considered to be a user-friendly, easy to use way of managing applications.
Things changed as modern software manager tools like GNOME Software and KDE Discover came up with more modern and intuitive UI. These software managers have better interface, display the package information in a more friendly way with thumbnails, ratings and reviews.
Why would you use an ‘ancient’ software like Synaptic package manager?
You don’t have to. Not most of the time, of course.
But Synaptic is still a lot versatile than the likes of GNOME Software. Remember, it is basically GUI front end to apt which means it can do (almost) everything you do with apt commands in the terminal.
Also, I have noticed some issues with the Software Center in Ubuntu 20.04. It’s slow to load, it’s slow when searching for software and it is full of snap application (that not everyone prefers).
Here is a summary of what you can do with Synaptic:
Update the package cache
Upgrade the entire system
Manage package repositories
Search for packages by name, description, maintainer, version, dependencies etc
List packages by section, status (installed), origin or more
Sort packages by name, status, size or version
Get information related to a package
Lock package version
Install specific version of a package
There are more features that you may explore on your own.
How to install Synaptic package manager on Ubuntu
Synaptic package manager is available in the Universe repository in Ubuntu. If it is enabled, you may find it in the Software Center:
Synaptic in Ubuntu Software Center
You may also install Synaptic via command line. Make sure to enable universe repository first:
sudo add-apt-repository univers
And then update the cache (not required in Ubuntu 18.04 and higher versions):
sudo apt update
Now, use the command below to install synaptic package manager:
sudo apt install synaptic
That’s it.
How to use Synaptic package manager
Once installed, you can search for Synaptic in the menu and start it from there:
You can see that the interface is not among the best-looking ones here. Note the color of the checkboxes. White means the package is not installed, green means it is installed.
You can search for an application and click on the checkbox to mark it for installation. It will also highlight packages (in green) that will be installed as dependencies. Hit apply to install the selected packages:
You can see packages available in individual repositories by displaying them based on Origin. Good way to see which PPA offers what packages. You can install or remove packages as described above.
Usually, when you update Ubuntu, all the packages are updated at once. With Synaptic, you can easily choose which packages you want to update/upgrade to a newer version.
You can also lock the version of packages so that they don’t get updated along with the system updates.
If you think you made the wrong selection, you can click Undo from the Edit menu.
There are plenty more you can do with Synaptic and I cannot cover all the possible usages. I have covered the most common ones here and I leave you to explore it, if you are going to use Synaptic.
Synaptic is not for everyone
If you don’t like Synaptic, you can remove it from the Software Center or using this command in terminal:
sudo apt remove synaptic
There was another lightweight software manager for Ubuntu called AppGrid. It hasn’t been updated in recent times as far as I know.
Synaptic is certainly not for everyone. It lists libraries and packages that you won’t otherwise see in the regular Software Center. If you removed a library that you were not aware of, it may cause issues.
I think that Synaptic is suitable for intermediate to advanced users who want better control over the package management without going the command line way.
What do you say? Have you ever used Synaptic for package management? Do you reply on software center or you just dive into the terminal? Do share your preference in the comment section.
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Linux Lite 4.x series based on Ubuntu 18.04 was good but it didn’t have UEFI support. But, now that Linux Lite 5.0 has finally arrived based on Ubuntu 20.04 and I’m excited to see the changes!
In this article, we’ll take a look at what’s new in Linux Lite 5.0.
Linux Lite 5.0: Key Changes
With Linux Lite 5.0, they have finally added the support for UEFI along with numerous significant improvements. Let’s take a brief look at what has changed:
UEFI Support
Linux Lite 5.0 supports UEFI out-of-the-box. However, they recommend disabling the Secure Boot feature even though it should work with that.
You can take a look at one of their forum threads to understand more about it. Not to mention, you can also find more information about it in the new inbuilt Help Manual.
Ubuntu-based distro with no hidden telemetry
If you were looking for a Linux distribution that’s based on Ubuntu but without any hidden telemetry, Linux Lite 5.0 seemts to be the perfect option.
In the release announcement, they mentioned it in the changelog along with a screenshot that you can see here:
It seems that GUFW isn’t as configurable as firewallId. Hence, they decided to replace it.
By default, it is disabled. But, you can choose to enable it by following one of the tutorials in the Help Manual.
Latest Whisker Menu
Whisker Menu has been updated to the latest package (v2.4.4) available. In addition to the update, you can also notice that “Install Updates” is now pinned to the favorites section.
HiDPI Settings
You will find it very easy to utilize the HiDPI settings from the Settings menu if you need it.
XFCE Screensaver Added
With Linux Lite 5.0, you will also notice the addition of XFCE screensaver program — which is disabled by default.
It’s a simple addition that should be useful for users who always wanted a screensaver app and the ability to tweak it.
Other Important Improvements
In addition to the key highlights mentioned above, there are several other changes that should come in handy for Linux Lite 5.0 users. I’ve listed some of them here:
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