> What is `apt-helper cat-file' and how does it help ? On stretch:
$ apt-file search apt-helper apt: /usr/lib/apt/apt-helper $ /usr/lib/apt/apt-helper apt 1.4.6 (amd64) Usage: apt-helper [options] command apt-helper [options] cat-file file ... apt-helper [options] download-file uri target-path apt-helper bundles a variety of commands for shell scripts to use e.g. the same proxy configuration or acquire system as APT would. Most used commands: download-file - download the given uri to the target-path srv-lookup - lookup a SRV record (e.g. _http._tcp.ftp.debian.org) cat-file - concatenate files, with automatic decompression auto-detect-proxy - detect proxy using apt.conf Configuration options and syntax is detailed in apt.conf(5). Information about how to configure sources can be found in sources.list(5). Package and version choices can be expressed via apt_preferences(5). Security details are available in apt-secure(8). This APT helper has Super Meep Powers. $ /usr/lib/apt/apt-helper download-file http://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/sid/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz Packages.xz Get:1 http://deb.debian.org/debian/dists/sid/main/binary-amd64/Packages.xz [7,547 kB] Fetched 7,547 kB in 5s (1,446 kB/s) $ /usr/lib/apt/apt-helper cat-file Packages.xz | less (this only looks at the repo and doesn't address package compression which Guillem discussed elsewhere) -- Stuart Prescott http://www.nanonanonano.net/ stu...@nanonanonano.net Debian Developer http://www.debian.org/ stu...@debian.org GPG fingerprint 90E2 D2C1 AD14 6A1B 7EBB 891D BBC1 7EBB 1396 F2F7