apt repository problem solved

I finally have gotten my apt repository working. My problem was caused by my not realizing that the format of the directory names was important to get the apt utility genbasedir utility to work properly. When I re-read the instructions I found in http://dev.freshrpms.net/apt/server I realized my error and did things right. Now stuff works just fine.

This points out a few things about the windows vs linux environments.

In the windows world there is nothing quite like the apt (or yum or up2date, etc.) facility. Only the microsoft site update tool comes close. In windows, there is no real concept of a repository for software as there is in linux. In windows you have sites that present collections of software for downloading, but they are not vetted by Microsoft to work. In linux, repositories are a community creation and the developers of distor's review the software in these repositories and a user can be fairly sure that they work properly.

The other point is that I was able to enhanse my system by adding a facility that I thought would help me. I used tools available but ran into difficulties because the instructions are not clear (often the case) but the tools are there and customizable if I take the time. It is this flexibility to get things working my way that I like so much with Linux.