Synaptic (software) facts for kids
 |
|
|
Screenshot
Synaptic 0.81 on Linux Mint
|
|
| Original author(s) | Alfredo Kojima, Gustavo Niemeyer and Michael Vogt |
|---|---|
| Developer(s) | Canonical Ltd |
| Initial release | November 13, 2001 |
| Stable release |
0.91.3 / February 11, 2023
|
| Written in | C, C++, Python |
| Operating system | Debian and derivatives |
| Available in | English |
| Type | Package manager |
| License | GNU GPLv2 |
Synaptic is a helpful tool that lets you manage software on your computer. It's like an app store for computers that use Linux operating systems, especially those based on Debian. Synaptic has a graphical user interface, which means you use your mouse to click on buttons and menus, making it easy to use.
It helps you find, install, remove, and update software packages. Think of a "package" as a complete program or app ready to be installed. Synaptic works with different types of packages, like deb packages, which are common on Debian-based systems.
What Can Synaptic Do?
Synaptic has many cool features that make managing your software simple:
- You can easily install new programs.
- It lets you remove programs you no longer need.
- You can update your software to the newest versions.
- It helps you find programs by searching for their name or what they do.
- You can manage where your computer gets software from. These are called repositories.
- It lets you see details about each software package.
- You can even lock a package to a certain version. This stops it from updating.
- It has an "undo" and "redo" feature for your choices.
How Do You Use Synaptic?
Using Synaptic is straightforward. First, you open the program. Then, you can search for the software you want to install or remove. Once you find it, you mark it for installation or removal.
Synaptic doesn't make changes right away. You can mark many programs at once. After you've marked all your choices, you click a button to "apply" them. This is when Synaptic actually installs or removes the software. It's like putting items in a shopping cart and then checking out all at once.
Who Created Synaptic?
Synaptic was first created by Alfredo Kojima. He was working for a company called Conectiva. They wanted a simple way for people to manage software on their computers. So, Alfredo Kojima developed Synaptic to be a user-friendly tool for this purpose.
See Also
- Aptitude (software), another tool for managing software packages.
- GNOME Software, a modern software center.
- PackageKit, a system that helps manage software across different Linux systems.
