Installing Debian Packages

If you are running a Debian Linux system, like Ubuntu or CrunchBang, you’ll occasionally need to install a .deb file, which is a binary file used to install packages. Usually you can simply run,

sudo dpkg -i ./path/to/file.deb

If this finishes without complaint, then you’re done. If it complains about dependencies, then you should run,

sudo apt-get -f install

The -f option attempts to fix broken dependencies. You can use -fy to fix the broken dependencies AND suppress the output, but I like watching those lines fly by on the terminal. (It makes me feel like the Matrix.) At this point, depending on your system, you may or may not need to re-run,

sudo dpkg -i ./path/to/file.deb