As a former Debian user, I "kind of" remember that I should only use one of the package managers…
Either apt-get, aptitude, or synaptic, but not the three in combination 'cause there may be conflicts, they don't mix well.
I don't know where I have heard it, but it has left its memory print.
So I just want to check with you if it is really not advised or if it is an urban legend and it is completely safe. Could you confirm this ?
Is the cleanest way of installing a package is still using the command checkinstall before invoking dpkg ?
Best Answer
The only real difference is Aptitude.
If you use it interactively install something, then remove that package in something else and then go back to Aptitude, it will think you want to reinstall it. You just have to clear selections when it loads (easy enough through the menu).
It will also run an autoremove so old dependencies are cleaned up. This can be dangerous if you accidentally remove something that is a dependant of a metapackage and you remove it and all its deps. This isn't an issue if you know what you're doing.