Don’t Say Geek! Say Syntux!

Package dependencies

• Depends: Package A depends on package B if B absolutely must be installed in order to use A. In some cases, A depends not only on B, but on a specific version of B. In this case, the version dependency is usually a lower limit, in the sense that A depends on any version of B more recent than some specified version.


• Recommends: Package A recommends package B if the package maintainer judges that most users would not want A without also having the functionality provided by B.


• Suggests: Package A Suggests package B if B contains files that are related and enhance the functionality of A. The same relationship is expressed by declaring that package B Enhances package A.


• Conflicts: Package A Conflicts with package B when A will not operate properly if B is installed on the system. Conflicts status is often combined with Replaces


• Replaces: Package A Replaces package B when files installed by B are removed of overwritten by files in A.


• Provides: Package A provides package B when all of the files and functionality of B are incorporated into A.