Packages No Longer Required

carlosinfl · 11-04-2008, 07:19 AM

When ever I attempt to install a package, I am prompted with a warning in CLI that tells me that I no longer need specific files / packages and to run a specific command to flush them from my system however as I look - many are critical packages I don't want to lose and I don't understand why Debian is trying to remove them from my system. For example gnome* is not something I want to remove from my workstation - it is my only installed WM.

Code:

cwilliams@tunafush:~$ sudo apt-get install icedove
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
  bluez-gnome libsdl1.2debian libgnomekbd2 libsdl1.2debian-alsa libepc-ui-1.0-1 bzip2 ekiga python-gst0.10 libmtp7 gcalctool libpth20 gnome-nettool gnome-media metacity libepc-1.0-1 libgtk-vnc-1.0-0 nautilus libgksu1.2-0 python-notify
  aspell pkg-config gnome-settings-daemon libgda3-common python-gnome2-extras gucharmap zenity libgksuui1.0-1 gnome-games cheese liburi-perl evolution-exchange dnsutils libspectre1 gnome-network-admin libsvga1 libgnome-media0
  app-install-data gnome-power-manager unzip gnome-cards-data totem-plugins gnome-screensaver rhythmbox libgtksourceview1.0-0 python-gdata alacarte gedit gnome-menus liblircclient0 python-gtksourceview2 gtk2-engines-pixbuf
  system-config-printer gnome-control-center libhtml-parser-perl libapm1 libpt-1.10.10-plugins-alsa gnome-themes libtrackerclient0 metacity-common seahorse libggzmod4 libxml-twig-perl mysql-common whois libtotem-plparser10 totem-common
  vinagre libpt-1.10.10 gnome-media-common nautilus-data libgpod3 libxml-parser-perl libgalago3 system-tools-backends libgweather1 guile-1.8-libs libmysqlclient15off python-gtkmozembed python-gtkhtml2 libgnomekbd-common p7zip
  gedit-common gnome-utils gnome-themes-extras libdmx1 finger gdm-themes libmusicbrainz4c2a libnet-dbus-perl fast-user-switch-applet arj gnome-about gnome-volume-manager nautilus-cd-burner libexempi3 gtk2-engines libgnomeprint2.2-data
  libgtksourceview2.0-common libkpathsea4 libgnomekbdui2 eog gdm libgtksourceview2.0-0 libslab0 capplets-data gnome-backgrounds python-eggtrayicon python-sexy python-xdg gnome-spell libggz2 libgweather-common libgtksourceview-common
  vino gnome-system-monitor evince gnome-games-data gnome-app-install gnome-user-guide libopal-2.2 totem-gstreamer libgnome-window-settings1 libmetacity0 libgnomevfs2-bin libiw29 zip python-gdbm gnome-core gnome-netstatus-applet
  dmz-cursor-theme python-4suite-xml libxklavier12 liboobs-1-4 libgucharmap6 gnome-applets libgda3-3 svgalibg1 libpt-1.10.10-plugins-v4l libgpgme11 python-gmenu libggzcore9 libgmyth0 gconf-editor gnome-system-tools libhtml-tree-perl
  gnome-panel libwww-perl gnuchess gstreamer0.10-gnomevfs deskbar-applet libnautilus-burn4 python-gnome2-desktop gnome-applets-data libgnomeprint2.2-0 libhtml-tagset-perl desktop-file-utils libavahi-ui0 transmission-common
  gnome-session libgtkglext1 gstreamer0.10-tools libgnomeprintui2.2-0 totem-mozilla libgdl-1-0 libgnomeprintui2.2-common file-roller serpentine libopenobex1 libspeexdsp1 transmission-gtk gnome-panel-data sound-juicer libgnomecups1.0-1
  libgdl-1-common gnome-vfs-obexftp

craigevil · 11-04-2008, 07:28 AM

Somewhere along the way you have removed a Gnome metapackage. You can turn off the autoremove.

Add:
APT::Get::AutomaticRemove "0";
APT::Get::HideAutoRemove "1";

to your /etc/apt/apt.conf then run apt-get update.

carlosinfl · 11-04-2008, 07:51 AM

Does not appear to live on my system...

Code:

tunafush:/etc/apt/apt.conf.d# ls -l
total 32
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  40 2008-10-27 13:11 00trustcdrom
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  92 2008-02-16 19:15 01autoremove
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 129 2005-11-06 17:10 10periodic
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 110 2008-02-18 05:25 15update-stamp
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root  85 2005-11-06 17:10 20archive
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 211 2007-06-07 07:38 50unattended-upgrades
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 182 2008-05-14 19:37 70debconf
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 116 2005-11-06 17:10 99update-notifier

craigevil · 11-04-2008, 08:52 AM

Its not , you have to create it in /etc/apt

Mine looks like:
APT::Get::AutomaticRemove "0";
APT::Get::HideAutoRemove "1";
APT::Install-Recommends "0";
APT::Install-Suggests "0";
Debug::pkgAutoRemove "0";
APT::Default-Release "unstable";
DPkg::Post-Invoke {"echo Running prelink, please wait...;/etc/cron.daily/prelink";}

jlinkels · 11-04-2008, 05:56 PM

Autoremove is one of the least understood options in Debian

I think it were better if it had not been included in apt.

If you do autoremove apt will remove those packages (duh!), but it is easy to re-install what you are missing. The configuration is not touched as you know. Have done it several times.

jlinkels

Telemachos · 11-04-2008, 07:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlinkels

Autoremove is one of the least understood options in Debian

All due respect, but I think it's perfectly understood (though not universally popular). Imagine you tell apt-get to install package blah, and it drags in packages yada, yada and yada as dependencies. Then later you ask apt-get to remove blah. Autoremove will nudge you to remove the dependencies blah, blah and blah as well (assuming that they aren't also dependencies of any other packages that you installed later). That's it. No muss, no fuss.

I think that aptitude keep-all clears the "to be removed" markers from all packages currently installed, so that should shut up autoremove easily. However, another way to do it is simply remove all those packages and then install the ones you actually want manually. Some people find this inconvenient, but I like a leaner system.

jschiwal · 11-04-2008, 07:14 PM

Are the packages listed older versions?

jlinkels · 11-04-2008, 07:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Telemachos

All due respect, but I think it's perfectly understood (though not universally popular). Imagine you tell apt-get to install package blah, and it drags in packages yada, yada and yada as dependencies. Then later you ask apt-get to remove blah. Autoremove will nudge you to remove the dependencies blah, blah and blah as well (assuming that they aren't also dependencies of any other packages that you installed later). That's it. No muss, no fuss.

I was exaggerating... but seriously, it is not logical what is being proposed, and I don't quit get what you say.

You say: install blah, and yada1, yada2 and yada3 are being installed because blah depends on them. When I install blah, I expect to be offered to remove yada1, yada2 and yada3. Because those are reverse dependencies. (Other packages depends on them, namely blah). But I don't see why I am offered to remove blah1, blah2 and blah3.

When I change my understanding slightly I assume that blah1, blah2 and blah3 depend on blah. When I remove blah, I am offered to remove blah1, blah2 and blah3. Also not very clever, because blah1..blah3 could have been installed because of package yada. When I agree to autoremove blah1..blah3, I would lose yada as a result from that. Not logical either.

Reinstalling the wanted packages again after an autoremove indeed guarantees the leanest system.

jlinkels

Telemachos · 11-04-2008, 07:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jlinkels

You say: install blah, and yada1, yada2 and yada3 are being installed because blah depends on them. When I install blah, I expect to be offered to remove yada1, yada2 and yada3. Because those are reverse dependencies. (Other packages depends on them, namely blah). But I don't see why I am offered to remove blah1, blah2 and blah3

Huh? Either I was unclear or you misunderstood me or both. Let me try again.

I enter apt-get install slrn and APT says, "Fine, you can have slrn, but I also need to install libslang2 because it's required dependency." I do that and use slrn happily for a few months.

Later, I decide to uninstall slrn. At that point, apt-get says, "Fine, I'll remove slrn, but I recommend that you autoremove libslang2 also. I only installed it because of slrn, so if you don't want slrn, you don't need libslang2 any more."

That's all autoremove does. It tries to remove packages that were only installed as dependencies once you've removed the packages they depended on. I don't see what's illogical about that. Why would I want a library or helper program for a package I've uninstalled?

The problem in Carlos' case is that he installed Gnome using a meta-package and then removed one of the pieces or the meta-package wrapper. Since every package in the meta-package is a dependency of the main one, autoremove proceeds in a straight line and says, "Remove them all." This particular case has more to do with meta-packages than autoremove.

jlinkels · 11-04-2008, 07:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Telemachos

I enter apt-get install slrn and APT says, "Fine, you can have slrn, but I also need to install libslang2 because it's required dependency." I do that and use slrn happily for a few months.

Later, I decide to uninstall slrn. At that point, apt-get says, "Fine, I'll remove slrn, but I recommend that you autoremove libslang2 also. I only installed it because of slrn, so if you don't want slrn, you don't need libslang2 any more."

That's all autoremove does. It tries to remove packages that were only installed as dependencies once you've removed the packages they depended on. I don't see what's illogical about that. Why would I want a library or helper program for a package I've uninstalled?

That is according to my second understanding, and as you picture it here, it would have the desired effect. But this is a simple case.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Telemachos

The problem in Carlos' case is that he installed Gnome using a meta-package and then removed one of the pieces or the meta-package wrapper. Since every package in the meta-package is a dependency of the main one, autoremove proceeds in a straight line and says, "Remove them all." This particular case has more to do with meta-packages than autoremove.

Quite possible, I think it works like that. But it is highly confusing. Should a package manager which uses meta packages extensively still try to guess what you can autoremove?

jlinkels