[Bug 262227] Re: apt should use color output

Julian Andres Klode juliank at ubuntu.com
Sun Apr 6 18:24:38 UTC 2014


There's not much we can do here. We do not display the messages in APT
that this bug is about.

I'm not trying to be rude, but I just do not see any advantage in the
colouring scheme proposed by the bug reporter. Colouring itself might be
useful in some situations, yes, but only if the important things are
highlighted, and not the unimportant ones.

Reassigning that to dpkg. APT now has some colourisation where possible
and appropriate (for example, apt list).

** Package changed: apt (Ubuntu) => dpkg (Ubuntu)

** Changed in: dpkg (Ubuntu)
       Status: Opinion => New

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/262227

Title:
  apt should use color output

Status in “dpkg” package in Ubuntu:
  New
Status in “apt” package in Debian:
  New

Bug description:
  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:
  -------------------------------------------
  maxauthority at mst-ubuntu:~$ 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.

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