[suggestion] type of package in db

Pajaro · 2004-12-07 15:50:24

Retrieving a list of orphan packages is not very useful because the main orphan packages are applications and you want them. But usually orphan libs are complety useless.

that would be very useful to have a "type of package" field in pacman db so that you can automatically remove orphan librarys after or while removing an application.

It could also have other advantages. For example, you could have types of packages: application, library, kernel and module.

I think this is a must have. If you don't think so please explain me why in order to understand better the way archlinux grows.

Thank you

phrakture · 2004-12-07 15:54:45

one possibility would be to cross reference this to your abs tree in order to get the category... right now that tree is the only place i know where to get category info...

for instance: find /var/abs/ -name vim
should report vim in /var/abs/extra/editors

dunno if this helps or not

Dusty · 2004-12-07 16:12:50

THere's been discussion of this kind of dependency checking in various forms. Search the forums and mailing list archives for lively discussion... Judd does not want another field in the PKGBUILD; he wants to keep it simple. However, I'm certain there was a patch or hack or something implemented that keeps track of whether a file is installed on purpose, or as a dependency for something else when it is installed, which provides the functionality you describe. Somebody with more ambition will probably post a link to the forum.

Dusty

Pajaro · 2004-12-07 16:13:10

yes, this helps, but this does no help with turs or packages I could have done by myself.

The point is that this would very helpfull for maintainance of arch, specially having in mind that you don't need to reinstall the SO every some time like you do in windoze

Pajaro · 2004-12-07 16:15:19

you posted while i was posting... i'm slow in english

phrakture · 2004-12-07 17:29:01

Dusty wrote:

THere's been discussion of this kind of dependency checking in various forms. Search the forums and mailing list archives for lively discussion... Judd does not want another field in the PKGBUILD; he wants to keep it simple. However, I'm certain there was a patch or hack or something implemented that keeps track of whether a file is installed on purpose, or as a dependency for something else when it is installed, which provides the functionality you describe. Somebody with more ambition will probably post a link to the forum.

Dusty

this is actually in pacman - i think... check out the package.h file the struct has fields for if it was installed by the user or a dependancy, or if it was force installed.... I haven't looked through the actual implementation of the field, but it's there...

Dusty · 2004-12-07 17:41:57

phrakture wrote:

this is actually in pacman - i think...

Yes, but I don't think its been formally documented (I wouldn't know :-P). I don't know what option is used to display orphans that were installed as a dependency... maybe pacman -Qee?

Dusty

Xentac · 2004-12-12 05:15:22

Yes, it has been added to pacman. Though not in the same way as you described it.

I can't actually remember who wrote the patch... I believe it was hcman or something like that.

It tracks which packages you've explictly installed and which ones were installed as dependencies.

You can use -Qi to find out which is which:

[jchu@hercules ~]$ pacman -Qi psi
Name           : psi
Version        : 0.9.2-1
Groups         : None
Packager       : Arch Linux (http://www.archlinux.org)
URL            : http://psi.affinix.com/?page=Home
License        : 
Architecture   : 
Size           : 4981059
Build Date     : Thu Jun 24 17:13:24 2004 UTC
Install Date   : Tue Jun 29 21:07:31 2004 UTC
Install Script : No
Reason:        : explicitly installed
Provides       : None
Depends On     : openssl qt 
Required By    : None
Conflicts With : None
Description    : PSI - Jabber client (with SSL)

[jchu@hercules ~]$ pacman -Qi tpctl
Name           : tpctl
Version        : 4.15-1
Groups         : None
Packager       : Arch Linux (http://www.archlinux.org)
URL            : http://tpctl.sourceforge.net
License        : 
Architecture   : i686
Size           : 136470
Build Date     : Thu Oct 28 05:38:34 2004 UTC
Install Date   : Sun Dec 12 00:34:37 2004 UTC
Install Script : No
Reason:        : installed as a dependency for another package
Provides       : None
Depends On     : None
Required By    : kdeutils 
Conflicts With : None
Description    : Extra utilities for Thinkpad laptops

Where exactly did you read about the "orphan" ability? From the pacman man page?

-e, --orphans
List all packages that were explicitly installed (ie, not pulled
in as a dependency by other packages) and are not required by
any other packages.

It explains it the same way I did. The packages have to be explictly installed. Did you not understand this when you read it?

Arch Linux

#1 2004-12-07 15:50:24

[suggestion] type of package in db

#2 2004-12-07 15:54:45

Re: [suggestion] type of package in db

#3 2004-12-07 16:12:50

Re: [suggestion] type of package in db

#4 2004-12-07 16:13:10

Re: [suggestion] type of package in db

#5 2004-12-07 16:15:19

Re: [suggestion] type of package in db

#6 2004-12-07 17:29:01

Re: [suggestion] type of package in db

#7 2004-12-07 17:41:57

Re: [suggestion] type of package in db

#8 2004-12-12 05:15:22

Re: [suggestion] type of package in db

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