The release of the experimental branch of the APT 2.9 (Advanced Package Tool) package management toolkit has been published, shaping the features of the upcoming stable APT 3.0 version, which will be integrated into Debian Testing after stabilization and included in the next significant Debian release, as well as added to the Ubuntu package repository. Notably, the stabilization of the previous experimental branch APT 2.7 is not yet complete, and a stable release of APT 2.8, which was planned for use in Debian 13, has not been formed.
APT 2.9 offers a revamped user interface that visually presents the list of dependencies required for package installation. Previously, package names with dependencies were displayed in a continuous list, but now they are broken into columns styled like the 'ls' utility with the '-C' option, and different output blocks are highlighted in distinct colors (for example, packages marked for removal appear in red, while those to be installed are shown in green). Additionally, duplicate mentions of extra and new packages have been removed (the 'NEW packages' and 'additional packages' sections have been combined).
Previously:
Now:
Additionally, it is worth noting the affirmation by the Debian distribution developers of an updated version of the package formatting rules — Debian Policy 4.7.0.0, which reflects the creation of a separate repository for non-free firmware, allows the use of hard links in source packages, and regulates network access restrictions for automatic package builds in contrib and non-free.
For packages that automatically start or stop system services, a requirement has been introduced mandating the inclusion of a unit file for systemd (an exception has been added only for packages specifically aimed at use with alternative initialization systems). Previously, packages were allowed to use standard init scripts, but now support for such scripts in systemd is being discontinued.
Source: opennet.ru
