question about fc3 "install or remove packages" tool
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question about fc3 "install or remove packages" tool
I just started the "install or remove packages: thing from the 'applications > system settings' menu. I tried to install k3b. i was told that there were a number of dependecy packages I neede to install first.
So the question is:
If I UNinstall a package, will it automatically uninstall anything that package depended on but is no longer needed? I assume that since it wasn't smart enought to aotomatically install necessary dependencies, that it would laso not uninstall unnecessary dependencies.
If it wil not, then I guess I'm not achieving a clean removal. Is there a way that I can find a packages dependencies and remove them if they're no longer neded?
Thanks for any help. My Linux knowledge is next to none, so I really appreciate it.
No, if you uninsall a package, that does not automaticlly uninstall its dependencies. There are ways to remove a package and all of its dependencies using package managers like yum, apt and even rpm.
Distribution: Fedora 18, Puppy Linux, various others
Posts: 107
Rep:
Travis
I would second the use of yum, which processes dependacies for removal as well as installation To test this, I typed yum remove xmms this is the output:
Setting up Remove Process
Resolving Dependencies
--> Populating transaction set with selected packages. Please wait.
---> Package xmms.i386 1:1.2.10-16 set to be erased
--> Running transaction check
Setting up repositories
updates-released 100% |=========================| 951 B 00:00
extras 100% |=========================| 1.1 kB 00:00
base 100% |=========================| 1.1 kB 00:00
Reading repository metadata in from local files
--> Processing Dependency: xmms = 1:1.2.10 for package: xmms-mp3
--> Processing Dependency: xmms for package: xmms-skins
--> Processing Dependency: xmms = 1:1.2.10 for package: xmms-cdread
--> Processing Dependency: libxmms.so.1 for package: xmms-flac
--> Processing Dependency: libxmms.so.1 for package: xmms-mp3
--> Restarting Dependency Resolution with new changes.
--> Populating transaction set with selected packages. Please wait.
---> Package xmms-skins.noarch 1:1.2.10-15 set to be erased
---> Package xmms-mp3.i386 1:1.2.10-11.1.1.fc3.rf set to be erased
---> Package xmms-cdread.i386 0:0.14-6.a set to be erased
---> Package xmms-flac.i386 0:1.1.2-24 set to be erased
--> Running transaction check
Dependencies Resolved
=============================================================================
Package Arch Version Repository Size
=============================================================================
Removing:
xmms i386 1:1.2.10-16 installed 5.2 M
Removing for dependencies:
xmms-cdread i386 0.14-6.a installed 74 k
xmms-flac i386 1.1.2-24 installed 122 k
xmms-mp3 i386 1:1.2.10-11.1.1.fc3.rf installed 174 k
xmms-skins noarch 1:1.2.10-15 installed 2.7 M
Transaction Summary
=============================================================================
Install 0 Package(s)
Update 0 Package(s)
Remove 5 Package(s)
Total download size: 0
Is this ok [y/N]:
To learn more about yum, type: man yum
Happy computing, Kurt
okay, thanks to both of you. I'm sorry I took so long to respond. As a linux noob, I only work up the courage to try anything with it very raely, so sometimes it takes me a while to get back.
If I was to use yum, I would probably have to reinstall that package I uninstalled, and then remove it again with yum? Unfortunately, I need the fc3 install disc to install that package again, and I don't have it.
One more question about yum: is it possible for it to remove a dependeciy that is also needed by other programs, thereby making these other programs useless?
If removing a package will affect others, then rpm will let you know and the default action is to prevent the removal of that dependency. Read the rpm manual or take a look at rpm.org for more information.
okay, that's reassuring. Also, I just found a book, "fc3 for dumbies", which includes the fedora distro on DVD, so I should be able to get by for a while.
Re: question about fc3 "install or remove packages" tool
Quote:
Originally posted by trempel I just started the "install or remove packages: thing from the 'applications > system settings' menu.
As a good recommendation, stay away from that application unless you know how to work around its deficiences. It works well for adding/removing package groups right after a fresh installation. But it does not know about online updates or dependencies due to packages installed from online repositories. So, an updated installation can confuse the application to a degree where it complains about packages not being available (because it doesn't know where to get them). This is a known issue and will be improved in a future release of Fedora Core. Meanwhile, use "yum" or one of its graphical front-ends (e.g. yumex or kyum).
I've heard a bit about a program called synaptic. is this inferior to yum? I've found a wiki about installing apt and synaptic, but if the general consencus is that yum os better, I won't continue.
"synaptic" is fundamentally different from Yum, since it is a graphical front-end to Apt-RPM's "apt-get". Apt-RPM in turn is only in Fedora Extras and is not officially supported by the Fedora Project (because Yum and up2date are the preferred package resolvers and because the primary Apt-RPM developer has switched to developing SmartPM), which means there are no official Apt repositories for Fedora Core or Fedora Extras. You can find a few mirrors who are Apt-enabled, though. Apt-RPM doesn't work correctly in x86_64 multilib installations.
wel, I just discoverd it's on my computer, after typing rpm -qa | grep apt, it showed synaptic as being installed. Can I use it? I thought it required apt to run? Since apt didn't show up, I probably can't use it. Also, it's not on the application menu.
You probably didn't look close enough and saw "synaptics" not "synaptic" being listed. Synaptic would require at least an apt libraries package, and since apt-get is a command-line program, it won't appear in the menus.
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