How can I install software without using dpkg or APT?

Question

Since my catalogue was broken (which thing is detailed here How do I repair my broken catalogue?) I have been unable to install software or update software.

Could somebody tell me a way of installing and updating software (regardless of origin and package type so I can install any software I could before the catalogue broke) despite my broken catalogue?

I was asking you how do I install software despite it. I'm not restating it. — Josh Pinto, Jan 29 '13 at 19:56
"Can somebody either solve my problem there" shouldn't really be part of this question. Questions are meant to be useful to at least one lurker. I think with some editing this question could be made more useful, though. If you want more attention on your other question, you can edit it (which you did), and you can offer a bounty for it. — Flimm, Jan 29 '13 at 19:58

score 1 · Accepted Answer · edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:24

1

Ubuntu, being a Debian derivative, is solidy built on APT. dpkg, apt-get, the Ubuntu Software Centre and PPAs all depend on APT to work correctly.

Having said that, you can install programs from source, bypassing APT. Have a look at this question for how to do it: How do I install a .tar.gz (or .tar.bz2) file?

In your case, I would not recommend this. I would concentrate on trying to fix the broken catalogue. APT is much superior and easier to use than installing directly from source packages, and you are much more likely to have success fixing APT's problems than you are fixing problems with source installations.

See this question for a summary of the differences between APT and installing straight from source: Should I install programs from a source tarball (`.tar.gz`), from the Ubuntu Software Centre, or from elsewhere?

edited Apr 13 '17 at 12:24

Community

1

answered Jan 29 '13 at 20:13

Flimm

41,766

Thanks, Flimm, this broken catalogue is maddening, I knew that APT made things a lot easier I also knew about install from source but I don't know how to fix my problem. I have tried everything I could conceive in my limited knowledge of programming and they've all done absolutely nothing positive. – Josh Pinto Jan 29 '13 at 20:15
It might be a good idea to use checkinstall when installing from source although if dpkg is broken that might not help you remove things. – Ibrahim Jan 29 '13 at 20:18
@BrentonHorne: join this chatroom http://chat.stackexchange.com/rooms/7307/discussion-with-brenton-horne-and-flimm – Flimm Jan 29 '13 at 20:18

How can I install software without using dpkg or APT?

1 Answers1