FIRST GET SWIMRC PREPARED
Edit the swimrc configution file, you should read swimrc(5), but I'll ask you some question right now. You can find swimrc in /etc/swim, and swimrc can be placed in your home directory in the subdirectory .swim. Entries in the home directory swimrc override ones in /etc/swim.
Are you using an installed Debian system? If so, you almost definitely have dpkg installed. So uncomment this line in /etc/swim/swimrc by removing the pound sign.
$package_tool = "/usr/bin/dpkg";
otherwise
$package_tool = "/usr/bin/ar";
Do you have the apt package installed? Configure this, or -xyz will not work.
$apt = "yes";
Now you need to decide what architecture you would like to be swim's default value when you download, build, and query the not-installed databases.
What flavor, do you want alpha, arm, hurd-i386, i386, m68k, powerpc, or sparc? (more coming :*) I decided on .....
$architecture = "i386";
What kind of distribution do you want to be your default? stable, unstable, frozen, or experimental (rare) I like the ever changing ...
$distribution = "unstable";
Decide which sections you want? You can have this
@user_defined_section = qw(main contrib non-free);
or this.
@user_defined_section = qw(main);
or .....
SECOND GET SWIMZ.LIST PREPARED
Now grab a copy of the README.mirrors from http://www.debian.org/misc/README.mirrors", you will need this to set-up the configuration file /etc/swim/swimz.list.
If your using apt make sure to read swim(8) to get the nitty gritty on how you can synchronize swim along with apt :*} using swimz.list.
Humm, you found a site which has the distribution you want, and you know which section you want, and you are happy knowing about packages which can install on the architecture you computer happens to have.
So what site is that?
deb ftp://ftp.swimz.org
What was the directory you happened to notice in the README.mirrors page?
deb ftp://ftp.swimz.org/pub/debian
What distribution did you want? Note: You won't want to use the Release code name for the distribution, see swimz.list.
deb ftp://ftp.swimz.org/pub/debian unstable
What sections did you want?
deb ftp://ftp.swimz.org/pub/debian unstable main contrib
non-free
Now put this line in the swimz.list, exactly like written, and ofcourse use the values you want.
THIRD GET THE DEBIAN DATABASE WITH FTP
Just issue this command.
swim --ftp --Contents DF --Packages DF
and wait a little bit.
FOURTH BUILD THE DATABASES
This is for a computer system with a Debian distribution installed.
swim --initdb
This next part applies to people who followed all the steps to get here, and also read the important requirements at the top. This makes the not-installed databases. Go take a walk, or a swim :*}
swim --initndb --Contents DF DF
When either of these commands are complete they will say "over and out".
NOW WHAT?
Now the real fun begins. If you happen to have some experience with rpm you already know some of the options which swim uses, but be prepared for surpises. swim(8) goes into more detail, the "Maximum RPM" book by Edward C. Bailey which is freely available may provide help for swim's --query option, but you will find that swim greatly diverges from rpm.
Try something like this, and do not use the -n unless you made the not-installed databases, on the other hand, REMEMBER to use -n if you do not have an installed Debian system....
swim -n --search swim
now do this..
swim -qnSi or swim -hn
go to the directory /usr/bin and do
swim -qnf .
you probably will have to do
swim -qnft .
...the fun is just beginning...
Where are you swimming to today?