Ubuntu is one of the most popular Linux distributions. In fact, most people who use Linux started with Ubuntu. In this article, we’re explaining how to resolve the apt-get command not found.
Ubuntu is derived from Debian Linux. Both Debian and Ubuntu use the dpkg packaging system. In order to interact with this packaging system, the APT (Advanced Packaging Tool) command-line tool is used.
APT is a more user-friendly way of managing dpkg packages rather than using dpkg itself. Thus, apt has been used by numerous Debian and Ubuntu-based Linux distributions.
In this article, we’re shedding more light on the Apt-Get command line. By the end of the article, you will get to understand it and will be able to resolve the command not found error message.
Apt-Get Command:
In order to install a program, the “apt-get” command is entered into the terminal followed by the target program. This simplicity in the language gives Debian an edge over other Linux distributions.
In actual use, installing a program requires administrative privileges, thus “Sudo” is used before the apt-get command. For example, if you’re into installing the Gimp software using the command line, you’ll enter:
sudo apt-get gimp
The terminal will then ask for the root password to begin the installation. Any system error could prevent the installation from completing, One of the most common errors is “apt-get command not found”.
Resolving Command Not Found:
There are only two possible causes of the “apt-get command not found” error message. Let’s dig deeper and see the potential reasons for this error message below:
- The distribution uses a different package manager
- The system is already corrupted
The first reason is pretty easy to figure out; The distribution uses a different package manager. As mentioned earlier, apt-get is used by Debian and most of its derivative distributions. If the user was on a non-Debian based distribution, it will be using a different package manager.
Some common distributions that use apt-get are Debian, Ubuntu (based on Debian), Mint (based on Ubuntu)and MX Linux (based on Debian). Common distributions that use other package managers are; Fedora (uses DNF), CentOS (uses YUM), and Arch (uses Pacman).
In these cases, the user should find out what is the package manager his distribution uses? And accordingly, you will need to run the commands needed to install the software.
The other cause of the “apt-get command not found” is a corrupted system. These situations are usually caused by interrupting the installation of system updates.
These interruptions could be Power, Memory run-out, and anything else that could cause the computer to hang during an update. The user can try reinstalling apt, but in most cases, it is best to reinstall the whole operating system when this happens. It is most likely that other applications have also been affected.
Conclusion:
The “apt-get command not found” error is just one of the common error messages that people in the Linux ecosystem encounter.
The great thing about Linux is that it is backed by a community where you can always find help. And you don’t need to pay money because of its an open-source software.
Problems in Linux are more like learning opportunities than disasters on the computer. That was everything about how to resolve apt-get command not found. Let us know your experience in the comments below.
