From purely a user standpoint, a little confusion on when to use pkgman and when to use HaikuDepot. From the videos I gathered that pkgman would be appropriate for “terminal” or non-GUI applications, so I installed Lynx with it, and tested it. Then in HaikuDepot, I noticed that Lynx is listed there as well, and there was no check-mark indicating that I had just installed it. So it appears they are two alternative methods for installation, that are isolated from each other? If so, which should I try first, for any given application?
It is the same, haikudepo is the gui for pkgman. So you can choose between using a gui or a shell tool
pkgman is used for installing packages from command line, while HaikuDepot is more user friendly alternative with icons, screenshots, etc. They are not isolated from each other.
Are you sure it was Lynx and not Lyx (https://depot.haiku-os.org/lyx)? That would explain the confusion.
Thanks @lelldorin and @Diver! I tried again through HaikuDepot and it’s there, Lynx, and though again I didn’t see the green check mark I was expecting, on the right it says Active. So in terminal, lynx and yes it works. Right to haiku-os.org and pops right up, no problem. Best, …Monty.
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Hello!
The status “Active” in HaikuDepot means that the package is already installed in the system. (there aren’t any check mark 
).
The green checkmark for installed packages is only seen when in the big-icon-mode of the “Featured packages”.
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I change my view from featured packages to all packages. Otherwise the list is limited to the feature packages.
I use pkgman to perform selective package updates while using mobile data (iPhone personal hotspot). I do the essential updates and leave others to when I manage to get an unlimited WiFi connection.
Not ideal. The user will wonder where the check marks went after changing icon size and is left to figure this out himself? Adding check marks is probably meant as an extra service, but in this way it’s a disservice.
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Agreed. Kind of. I’d prefer if it were icons in both formats. But I never really thought about it until it was mentioned here. I always switched between the two and automatically understood both formats. For UI/UX sake, it should be uniform. Perhaps it should be made uniform, but have the option between icon and written formats.