how do i uninstall installed packages in Debian?
 

Hello everyone!

I need help on uninstalling debian packages that i have installed..
can anyone show me??

thanks in advance!
~Ryan

You can use synaptic and remove your packages. Or become root and type "apt-get remove nameofpackage". Or use aptitude, which is a bit more complicated.
Bear in mind that some of the dependencies won't be totally removed. What you can do is install deborphan, which tracks "some" of the left dependencies (libraries, mainly) and remove them after you've used apt-get remove.
Use also apt-get autoremove.
In any case, type man apt to get all the options.
cheers

Actually since the release of Etch you are supposed to use aptitude instead of apt-get. Aptitude is almost identical to apt-get, I'm unsure why you comment that it is more difficult.


aptitude remove <packagename> - uninstalls package

or

aptitude purge <packagename> - uninstalls package and removes configuration files.


the rest of aptitude is simple to:

aptitude update
aptitude keep-all
aptitude install
aptitude search <packagename>
aptitude upgrade
aptitude dist-upgrade


Aptitude does a good job of tracking dependencies so it can remove them later, but ONLY IF you use aptitude exclusively so it can track those dependencies... if aptitude didn't install a dependency, then it will not know it can remove one at a later date when the packages that called for it is removed.

Just because I had a bad feeling out of it when the option to use a manual install was available on the standard netinstll (not the expert mode). Don't know if you can use it exclusively when you install, should be the default, now shouldn't it ? Why do package managers still use apt-get, then ?

Because there's really nothing wrong in apt-get that isn't wrong in the whole package management system. Debian's (as any operating systems') package management isn't perfect, and if you start filling the gaps with tweaks, you're going to have to do it forever.. :) rather think what you install, don't just take a install-remove-install-remove-rampage, and live well. And when the day comes your system just is too messy, take a clean wipeout-and-reinstall in cold blood - there are numerous options of doing this nicely without losing any personal data or having to necessarily backup everything.