It was enclosed in scare quotes, a sort of acknowledgment that the author knew it was non-standard, but was too apt for the purpose to resist. I remember reading it and trying to think of the “real” word that would be employed there, but could not find a satisfactory alternative. Since then, I’ve found myself unable to resist using the word when appropriate, due to its utility!

apt-get upgrade -y -o Dpkg::Options::="--force-confold"

sudo dpkg -i --force-overwrite /var/cache/apt/archives/pop-gnome-initial-setup_3.36.1~1612193315~20.04~4367c76_amd64.deb

his serves as a good example of apt-gets stability. In apt, the name was changed to be more user friendly, while in apt-get the name remains unchanged so as not to break compatibility with old scripts.

planet-incinerating Ponzi grifters

sudo apt-get autoclean sudo apt-get autoremove sudo apt-get clean sudo apt update sudo apt-get dist-upgrade --fix-missing sudo apt-get dist-upgrade --fix-broken sudo apt full-upgrade sudo apt -f install dpkg --configure -a

To limit the output to only the packages listed on the command line, set the APT::Cache::GivenOnly option.

You can use apt-cache search -n vim to search only package names instead of piping the output into grep

echo "firefox hold" | sudo dpkg --set-selections

Explained: Reason for the “The following packages have been kept back” error and how it was fixed The above suggested fix should solve the problem for you. But are you curious what caused the error and how was it fixed? Let me explain that to you. Normally, when you run the sudo apt update and sudo apt upgrade commands, it updates all the installed packages to their available newer versions. However, if the dependencies of an installed package have been changed such that it requires installation of new packages, the installed package won’t be upgraded with the system update and you’ll see package kept back error.

Fixing “The following packages have been kept back” Error The fix for this error is really simple. All you have to do is to use the apt install command with package or packages in the question: sudo apt install package_name If you use apt install on an already installed package, it gets updated. In my case, fwupd package was kept back. So, here’s what I tried: sudo apt install fwupd As you can see in the below screenshot, it suggests two packages that will be installed and then those packages are installed as well.

A more aggressive solution is to run sudo apt-get dist-upgrade, which will force the installation of those new dependencies. But dist-upgrade can be quite dangerous. Unlike upgrade it may remove packages to resolve complex dependency situations. Unlike you, APT isn't always smart enough to know whether these additions and removals could wreak havoc.

but you're probably better off learning a bit more about APT and resolving the dependency issues "by hand" by installing and removing packages on a case-by-case basis. Think of it like fixing a car... if you have time and are handy with a wrench, you'll get some peace of mind by reading up and doing the repair yourself. If you're feeling lucky, you can drop your car off with your cousin dist-upgrade and hope she knows her stuff.