apt-get

• apt-get is the best know package manager for debian. Usually on a boxcar you won’t need to know many of them.

• apt-get update (refresh the list of available packages)
• apt-get install packagename
• apt-get remove packagename
• apt-get remove—purge packagename (this option kills all configuration files, and things like the backend file storage of databases. Use with care.)

• apt-cache search (great tool for finding packages)
• apt-file search (find what package has a particular file)
• auto-apt (great for ./configure scripts. Can detect the dependencies that ./configure is looking for, and automatically install them. Sometimes it will install stuff you don’t really want, as ./configure isn’t designed to tell auto-apt what it wants, and what it is just looking for. Awesome, but use with caution)

• Manual http://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/apt-howto/