Is there a good way to manage / keep track of the installed software on Ubuntu machine?
Through the years, we keep improving our system, install all kinds of useful tools to make ourselves more "at home" in our own system. Then comes the day, when one has to get a new laptop, install new version of Ubuntu, copy all files and set up the new system. And then spend days, weeks or even months installing again all the applications that were formely installed.
In this process, it would be very helpful to get all the former applications carried over.
What are the best ways to accomplish this? Surely apt maintains db of all installed packages, but how does one get all these packages easily re-installed in the newly installed system?