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Asked: 2014-06-14 05:16:38 +0800 CST

apt-get -s E: the option « s » in command line [origin -s] is unknown

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Near all is in the title, but 14.04. I also tried all the 5 equivalent long (--) options found in man with the same error. -u from man also fails the same way. Please what is this? Thank you.

command-line

1 Answers

  1. You can't just execute sudo apt-get -s. You need to tell it to do something.

    That being said, doing a sudo apt-get update -s produces the same error you mention:

    $ sudo apt-get update -s
E: Command line option 's' [from -s] is not known.

    However, a sudo apt-get install -s does not error-out.

    $ sudo apt-get install -s
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
  linux-headers-3.13.0-23 linux-headers-3.13.0-23-generic linux-image-3.13.0-23-generic linux-image-extra-3.13.0-23-generic
Use 'apt-get autoremove' to remove them.
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 39 not upgraded.

    I'm going to assume that the -s flag only works with some of the commands. It is mentioned in the Apt/Get Howto wiki. The example given is with install, and it doesn't explicitly say that it will work with any other action.

    Use the -s flag to simulate an action."sudo apt-get -s install " will simulate installing the package showing you what packages will be installed and configured.

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