Comment 2 for bug 262227

Binary package hint: apt

If somebody has ever used gentoo, one will see the difference between "emerge" and "apt-get" (and friends) immediately:

emerge highlights useful information like package names or errors with color (on color terminals), apt-get does not.
Especially for longer output like that one:
-------------------------------------------
maxauthority@mst-ubuntu:~$ sudo apt-get install mplayer-nogui
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
  libdvdnav4 libenca0 libfaac0 libfreebob0 libggi2 libgii1 libgii1-target-x libjack0 libsvga1
  libx264-57 libxvidcore4
Suggested packages:
  libggi-target-emu libggi-target-monotext libggimisc2 jackd ladspa-sdk libdvdcss mplayer-doc
  w32codecs
Recommended packages:
  libggi-target-x libggi-target
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  libdvdnav4 libenca0 libfaac0 libfreebob0 libggi2 libgii1 libgii1-target-x libjack0 libsvga1
  libx264-57 libxvidcore4 mplayer-nogui
0 upgraded, 12 newly installed, 0 to remove and 5 not upgraded.
Need to get 5856kB of archives.
After this operation, 14.6MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]? y
Get:1 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libdvdnav4 0.1.10-0.2 [92.3kB]
Get:2 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libenca0 1.9-4 [72.6kB]
Get:3 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/multiverse libfaac0 1.26-0.1ubuntu1 [61.2kB]
Get:4 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libfreebob0 1.0.7-1 [153kB]
Get:5 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libgii1-target-x 1:1.0.1-3 [15.9kB]
Get:6 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libgii1 1:1.0.1-3 [235kB]
Get:7 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libggi2 1:2.2.1-5ubuntu1 [481kB]
Get:8 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libjack0 0.109.2-1ubuntu1 [118kB]
Get:9 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/universe libsvga1 1:1.4.3-24 [310kB]
Get:10 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/multiverse libx264-57 1:0.svn20071224-0.0ubuntu1 [253kB]
Get:11 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/multiverse libxvidcore4 2:1.1.2-0.1ubuntu3 [212kB]
Get:12 http://at.archive.ubuntu.com hardy/multiverse mplayer-nogui 2:1.0~rc2-0ubuntu13 [3850kB]
Fetched 5856kB in 2min12s (44.2kB/s)
Selecting previously deselected package libdvdnav4.
(Reading database ... 129716 files and directories currently installed.)
Unpacking libdvdnav4 (from .../libdvdnav4_0.1.10-0.2_i386.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package libenca0.
Unpacking libenca0 (from .../libenca0_1.9-4_i386.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package libfaac0.
Unpacking libfaac0 (from .../libfaac0_1.26-0.1ubuntu1_i386.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package libfreebob0.
Unpacking libfreebob0 (from .../libfreebob0_1.0.7-1_i386.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package libgii1-target-x.
Unpacking libgii1-target-x (from .../libgii1-target-x_1%3a1.0.1-3_i386.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package libgii1.
Unpacking libgii1 (from .../libgii1_1%3a1.0.1-3_i386.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package libggi2.
Unpacking libggi2 (from .../libggi2_1%3a2.2.1-5ubuntu1_i386.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package libjack0.
Unpacking libjack0 (from .../libjack0_0.109.2-1ubuntu1_i386.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package libsvga1.
Unpacking libsvga1 (from .../libsvga1_1%3a1.4.3-24_i386.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package libx264-57.
Unpacking libx264-57 (from .../libx264-57_1%3a0.svn20071224-0.0ubuntu1_i386.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package libxvidcore4.
Unpacking libxvidcore4 (from .../libxvidcore4_2%3a1.1.2-0.1ubuntu3_i386.deb) ...
Selecting previously deselected package mplayer-nogui.
Unpacking mplayer-nogui (from .../mplayer-nogui_2%3a1.0~rc2-0ubuntu13_i386.deb) ...
Setting up libdvdnav4 (0.1.10-0.2) ...
-------------------------------------------

I would propose the following:
1.) All packages like libdvdnav4 or libenca0 should be colored e.g. green
2.) Filenames like .../mplayer-nogui_2%3a1.0~rc2-0ubuntu13_i386.deb be colored in e.g. blue
3.) Some other structural text like "Suggested packages:" could be done in red or maybe just in bold

These are just suggestions, of course there could be done more/better colors for other things, but you get my point.
Of course things could/should be easily made non-colorized by a config option and/or environment variable.

There is an upstream bug in debian: http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=331201 - but it hasn't seen any comments in 3 years. Also Ubuntu is much more concerned about user friendliness for programs and for that, color in terminal programs is an absolute must.