diff --git a/shell/tasks/shell.yml b/shell/tasks/shell.yml
index fcea816ae2faa38fc5ed14b29f7a6939c26d6a21..24091f4c0533439e434c065722e27581bee8972e 100644
--- a/shell/tasks/shell.yml
+++ b/shell/tasks/shell.yml
@@ -3,58 +3,55 @@
 
 - name: ensure installation of basic shell commands
   apt:
-    name: "{{ item }}"
+    name:
+      - git
+      - vim
+      - vim-scripts
+      - zsh
     state: present
     install_recommends: no
-  with_items:
-    - git
-    - vim
-    - vim-scripts
-    - zsh
   tags:
     - packages
     - shell
 
 - name: ensure installaton of some additional software
   apt:
-    name: "{{ item }}"
+    name:
+      - aptitude
+      - atop
+      - build-essential
+      - curl
+      - dnsutils
+      - ethtool
+      - file
+      - git-extras
+      - htop
+      - iotop
+      - lsof
+      - mtr-tiny
+      - ncurses-term
+      - nmap
+      - pv
+      - reptyr
+      - rsync
+      - screen
+      - strace
+      - sysstat
+      - tcpdump
+      - tmux
+      - tree
+      - whois
+      - less
+      - man
     state: present
-  with_items:
-    - aptitude
-    - atop
-    - build-essential
-    - curl
-    - dnsutils
-    - ethtool
-    - file
-    - git-extras
-    - htop
-    - iotop
-    - lsof
-    - mtr-tiny
-    - ncurses-term
-    - nmap
-    - pv
-    - reptyr
-    - rsync
-    - screen
-    - strace
-    - sysstat
-    - tcpdump
-    - tmux
-    - tree
-    - whois
-    - less
-    - man
   tags:
     - packages
     - shell
 
 - name: ensure installation of variable additional software
   apt:
-    name: "{{ item }}"
+    name: "{{shell_software}}"
     state: present
-  with_items: "{{ shell_software }}"
   tags:
     - packages
     - shell
diff --git a/shell/tasks/sudo.yml b/shell/tasks/sudo.yml
index eab3f54a799d151bdd608de22ecf3b9fe7150499..ab0b52cb572b51ef00d1ac3ea55313f402d8dd00 100644
--- a/shell/tasks/sudo.yml
+++ b/shell/tasks/sudo.yml
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 # file: roles/common/tasks/sudo.yml
 
 - name: ensure sudo is installed 
-  apt: state=latest name=sudo
+  apt: state=present name=sudo
   tags:
     - sudo
     - packages