When I run "dpkg --list" I get
...
ii bluez 5.37-0ubuntu amd64 Bluetooth tools and daemons
...

bnut when I do
dpkg --list b* I get this

dpkg-query: no packages found matching bluez-5.18
dpkg-query: no packages found matching bluez-5.18.tar.xz
jim@jim-desktop:~$

Why the difference ?

It's because you are currently in a directory with those two files in it when you issue the command. The * is being interpreted as a blob by the command interpreter.

To ensure that the * is interpreted by dpkg, not by the command interpreter, use:

Note also that -l can be used as a synonym of --list.

Thanks.
I purged "bluez" and now I am getting this


jim@jim-desktop:~$ dpkg -l "blue*"
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name Version Architecture Description

un bluez <none> <none> (no description available)
un bluez-alsa <none> <none> (no description available)
un bluez-gnome <none> <none> (no description available)
un bluez-obexd <none> <none> (no description available)
un bluez-pan <none> <none> (no description available)
jim@jim-desktop:~$

Why is that ?

Please edit your post above and either (i) remove the equals signs or, preferably, (ii) place your output within CODE brackets (see https://www.linuxquestions.org/quest...og.php?b=36313) so that we can get the width of this thread back to normality. Thanks.

why is what? you told you purged probably that's why

Whys does it report package which is no longer there ?

Thanks for editing your post.

Good question. It could well be that dpkg lists all packages of which it is aware. If a package is included as a relation to an installed packaged (Depends, Recommends, Suggests etc.), then it is listed as "un" i.e. uninstalled so that the user is aware it exists. I have no idea. However essentially, and practically, you can ignore packages that are marked as "un".

https://askubuntu.com/questions/1880...ike-ii-rc-mean
it is known, but not installed

Not sure I am "happy / solved" with answers such "could well" "probably" .
I need to make sure the package "bluez" does not exist.
If "purge" means "it is there , but not installed" I need to find different command to make sure there is no blueZ.

for me it is definitely ok (based on the link I posted): u means unknown, n means not installed. What else do you need?
You have installed those packages, therefore the name of those packages are stored, but that's all.

The package bluez isn't installed on your computer any more. Definitely. Happier now?

Seriously, if you are unwilling to take the advice of people on here then you may as well not ask any questions.

I would have tried something like

JeremyBoden

Thanks for the reply.
It helps to gain better understanding of relation between bluez and libbluetooth-dev,
appreciate that.

Can I ask what "Desired" (comment ) means?

I'll try to answer my own question , as soon as I finish this post, if it is too difficult for this forum to help without being so snooty about it.

Have a great day.


jim@jim-desktop:~$ dpkg --list | grep -i bluez
ii libbluetooth-dev 5.37-0ubuntu5.1 amd64 Development files for using the BlueZ Linux Bluetooth library
ii libbluetooth3:amd64 5.37-0ubuntu5.1 amd64 Library to use the BlueZ Linux Bluetooth stack
ii libbluetooth3:i386 5.37-0ubuntu5.1 i386 Library to use the BlueZ Linux Bluetooth stack
ii libbluetooth3-dbg 5.37-0ubuntu5.1 amd64 Library to use the BlueZ Linux Bluetooth stack with debugging symbols
jim@jim-desktop:~$ dpkg --list "blue*"
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name Version Architecture Description

+++-(part of text deleted )

un bluez <none> <none> (no description available)
un bluez-alsa <none> <none> (no description available)
un bluez-gnome <none> <none> (no description available)
un bluez-obexd <none> <none> (no description available)
un bluez-pan <none> <none> (no description available)
jim@jim-desktop:~$

You are a poster who won't take advice from people who know what they're talking about. You are a poster who didn't mark any of the replies on this thread as helpful, despite the fact that they were. You are a poster who took the phrase "could well be" out of context to mean that bluez was perhaps not uninstalled when in fact it was merely used to indicate a probable reason that dpkg keeps track of some packages that aren't actually installed.

And to rub it in, now you are calling us snooty?

Perhaps you should employ a personal help desk support person rather than using Linux Questions. We are not your help desk. We are a group of volunteers who use our free time to try and help Linux users who need help. The very least we should be able to expect in return is some respect and some effort to listen to our answers and take them on board.

This thread is solved. Your original question has been answered.

1 members found this post helpful.

For anyone else reading this thread in the future, if you run
with no parameters, then uninstalled packages (those marked by dpkg as "un") are not shown.

If on the other hand, you run e.g.

with a filter parameter then uninstalled packages are included in the output.

1 members found this post helpful.