Introduction

dselect is both a very powerful tool and a very difficult one for the new user to work with. Some folks have problems with the interface because it is unlike anything else on the planet. Many of the keys used are not the ``standard'' keys used to perform these functions in other software. Others are surprised by some of the ``unexpected'' things that dselect will do for, and in some cases, to them. Yet, there are many satisfied dselect users, some who would complain loudly if dselect were to change in any way. This suggests that the tool does what it was designed to do. The following discussion is intended to help the beginner figure out how to make dselect work for them.

In general, the principal rule when using dselect is: Pay very close attention to all the messages that appear on the screen before you press any keys. Even if you have seen the screen dozens of times before, you are cautioned to think twice before you initiate any key strokes. Read the help information that is available every time you use the program, until you are completely familiar with the information contained there. Take notes when odd behavior is noticed.

dselect uses separate scripts to manage the access portion of its functionality. These scripts, called methods, deal with the task of mounting the device containing the archive. As such, they are referred to as, mountable methods. There is a package called dpkg-mountable that not only adds another mountable method to dselect but also provides a log of all dpkg activity during the dselect session. This can be invaluable in determining just what went wrong with a particular installation attempt. This method is now a part of dselect and may be chosen from the Access menu option.