LinuxQuestions.org - aptitude not showing descriptions

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aptitude not showing descriptions

Code:

% aptitude --version

aptitude 0.8.7

Compiler: g++ 6.3.0 20170415

Compiled against:

  apt version 5.0.1

  NCurses version 6.0

  libsigc++ version: 2.10.0

  Gtk+ support disabled.

  Qt support disabled.



Current library versions:

  NCurses version: ncurses 6.0.20161126

  cwidget version: 0.5.17

  Apt version: 5.0.1

Hello, I'm running Devuan (Debian related), Linux P4 4.9.0-4-686-pae #1 SMP Debian 4.9.65-3 (2017-12-03) i686 GNU/Linux.
When I examine a package with aptitude, in the description bar I don't see the long description.
I tried cycling with "I", but I cannot find the long description (see pic).
I also tried an internet search and reading/searching the manual :study:

Thanks!

I get similar results using aptitude in a VM of Devuan Jessie even with the "v" (verbose) agument:

Code:

# aptitude -v --version

aptitude 0.6.11 compiled at Nov  8 2014 13:34:39

Compiler: g++ 4.9.1

Compiled against:

  apt version 4.12.0

  NCurses version 5.9

  libsigc++ version: 2.4.0

  Gtk+ support disabled.

  Qt support disabled.



Current library versions:

  NCurses version: ncurses 5.9.20140913

  cwidget version: 0.5.17

  Apt version: 4.12.0

However, when I use "apt show," I get a much more thorough--one might even say overwhelming--output. I'm not sure whether this is what you mean by "descriptions," but here's an example:

Code:

# apt show firefox-esr

Package: firefox-esr

Version: 52.8.0esr-1~deb8u1

Installed-Size: 108 MB

Maintainer: Maintainers of Mozilla-related packages <pkg-mozilla-maintainers@lists.alioth.debian.org>

Provides: gnome-www-browser, www-browser

Depends: libasound2 (>= 1.0.16), libatk1.0-0 (>= 1.12.4), libc6 (>= 2.17), libcairo-gobject2 (>= 1.10.0), libcairo2 (>= 1.10.0), libdbus-1-3 (>= 1.0.2), libdbus-glib-1-2 (>= 0.78), libevent-2.0-5 (>= 2.0.10-stable), libffi6 (>= 3.0.4), libfontconfig1 (>= 2.11), libfreetype6 (>= 2.2.1), libgcc1 (>= 1:4.1.1), libgdk-pixbuf2.0-0 (>= 2.22.0), libglib2.0-0 (>= 2.31.8), libgtk-3-0 (>= 3.0.0), libgtk2.0-0 (>= 2.10), libhunspell-1.3-0 (>= 1.3.3), libjsoncpp0, libpango-1.0-0 (>= 1.14.0), libstartup-notification0 (>= 0.8), libstdc++6 (>= 4.9), libx11-6, libx11-xcb1, libxcb-shm0, libxcb1, libxcomposite1 (>= 1:0.3-1), libxdamage1 (>= 1:1.1), libxext6, libxfixes3, libxrender1, libxt6, zlib1g (>= 1:1.2.3.4), fontconfig, procps, debianutils (>= 1.16), libsqlite3-0 (>= 3.7.12-1~)

Suggests: fonts-stix | otf-stix, fonts-lmodern, mozplugger, libgssapi-krb5-2 | libkrb53, libcanberra0

Conflicts: iceweasel (<< 45), j2re1.4, pango-graphite (<< 0.9.3)

Breaks: xul-ext-torbutton

Section: web

Priority: optional

Download-Size: 46.9 MB

APT-Manual-Installed: no

APT-Sources: http://us.mirror.devuan.org/merged/ jessie-security/main amd64 Packages

Description: Mozilla Firefox web browser - Extended Support Release (ESR)



N: There is 1 additional record. Please use the '-a' switch to see it

The package managers in Debian evolved over a number of years. My guess is that some are more evolved than others, but it's just a guess.

Actually I was thinking of something like this (Yes, I am trying to be funny):

Code:

# apt show firefox-esr

...

Summery:    This is a web browser

Description: A really slow piece of software

that makes dieing squawking sounds as it

overwhelms the memory banks of your computer

and subverts the principles of FLOSS that RMS

setup in favor of a more "immersive" audio and

video experience such that you never really

believe that the web has or ever had been an

open, human parsable, standard based on SGML.

Notice the lengthy description and short summery. See also the aptitude manual which has pictures of what I'm talking about.