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Die-hard terminal emulator fans will be happy to learn that the upcoming Ubuntu 24.10 and Debian GNU/Linux 13 “Trixie” operating systems will feature a refined APT command-line interface (CLI).
APT developer and Canonical engineer Julian Andres Klode took to LinkedIn to present the revamped APT interface powered by the upcoming APT 3.0 package manager that looks to give users a more concise and well-laid-out command-line output when updating, installing, or removing packages via the terminal emulator.
The new APT 3.0 UI brings a columnar display that will make it easier for users to quickly scan for a package name, support for colors (red for removals and green for other changes), which makes it easier to quickly distinguish commands at a glance, and smoother install progress bars using Unicode blocks.
In addition, the new APT 3.0 command-line interface will be less verbose and offer more padding to make it easier to separate sections and extract the relevant information for you. You can see a comparison between the new APT 3.0 UI and the current APT UI in the featured screenshot above, thanks to Julian Andres Klode.
This will be the default command-line interface feel for the APT command starting with the upcoming Debian GNU/Linux 13 “Trixie” operating system series, due out in June-July 2025, and, of course, Ubuntu 24.10, which should be available later this year in October.
Bleeding-edge users and Linux enthusiasts who want to try this right now can check out Debian Unstable. The first release in the APT 3.0 development series was already uploaded in Debian Unstable’s repositories as APT 2.9.0, so make sure you have it installed to test the new APT interface.
Image credits: Julian Andres Klode
Thank you Simon for the tip!
Last updated 2 weeks ago
