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#1 2020-10-29 17:56:15

cs_95cc64dd
Member
Registered: 2020-10-29
Posts: 3

How to force package installs without all dependencies? (GTK3)

I'm having a lot of trouble trying to avoid the gtk3 package for a minimal desktop install. It contains several unnecessary packages that I can live with, but the ones below I don't want on my system. The main issue is involving printing (which is a dependency of apps not gtk3), In general I want nothing to do with printing on my workstations.

  • avahi - network daemon that globs to all interfaces

  • libcups - This requires colord

  • cups - Some how I believe this gets pulled in as well as libcups even though it's not a direct dependency? Keep me honest here.

  • tracker3 - this has been discussed to death elsewhere

  • libcloudproviders - do not want even a possibility of cloud sync to exist

  • colord

I've gone through ten pages of bug reports on gtk3 and while regular discussions to trim some of the bloat seem to take place, they fizzle out / close while application dependencies seem to slowly accumulate.

That all said I can appreciate the effort involved with maintaining packages so I'm not going to try to change how they are built, but I would like to control how they are installed onto my system. I've gone through all the pacman docs, help text, etc but can't figure out how to install a package while ignoring some dependencies (and fully accepting consequences of this). A solution that persists through updates without nagging / or manual intervention would be ideal.

Thanks for the help.

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#2 2020-10-29 18:04:50

Awebb
Member
Registered: 2010-05-06
Posts: 6,275

Re: How to force package installs without all dependencies? (GTK3)

I do not believe you've read the pacman manpage without noticing the word "assume" in there.

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#3 2020-10-29 18:05:02

V1del
Forum Moderator
Registered: 2012-10-16
Posts: 21,427

Re: How to force package installs without all dependencies? (GTK3)

Build the packages yourself. Forcing without dependencies will break things as some things aren't linked for fun. See https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Patching_packages and https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Patching_packages

The literal answer to your question is use the -d switch, but that is almost guaranteed to run you into issues.

Not an Upgrade/pacman issue, moving to modifying packages.

Last edited by V1del (2020-10-29 18:05:54)

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#4 2020-10-29 19:00:28

a821
Member
Registered: 2012-10-31
Posts: 381

Re: How to force package installs without all dependencies? (GTK3)

wouldn't a meta-package that provides all the unwanted packages be easier? something along the lines

pkgname=undesirables
pkgver=1
pkgrel=1
arch=('any')
provides=(list of packages you do not want)

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#5 2020-10-29 19:46:27

loqs
Member
Registered: 2014-03-06
Posts: 17,196

Re: How to force package installs without all dependencies? (GTK3)

The meta-package would only work provided there was no linking to libs provided by any of the packages.

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#6 2020-10-30 12:25:54

Lone_Wolf
Member
From: Netherlands, Europe
Registered: 2005-10-04
Posts: 11,868

Re: How to force package installs without all dependencies? (GTK3)

$ pactree -d1 gtk3

shows most of the dependencies you want to avoid are direct ones.

The gtk3 PKGBUILD[1] explicitly enables cloudproviders and colord .
If you were to create your own gtk3 package you can disable those and there may be more parts that can be disabled.

Another approach would be to ensure things aren't started .
I run mostly qt programs under lxqt/openbox but need gtk3 installed for firefox, thunderbird and a few other programs.

tracker & cloudproviders are never started on my system and give no problems.
avahi / colord / cups : just disable and/or mask the services & sockets that start them.


[1] https://github.com/archlinux/svntogit-p … k/PKGBUILD

Last edited by Lone_Wolf (2020-10-30 12:26:26)


Disliking systemd intensely, but not satisfied with alternatives so focusing on taming systemd.


(A works at time B)  && (time C > time B ) ≠  (A works at time C)

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#7 2020-10-30 14:58:29

cs_95cc64dd
Member
Registered: 2020-10-29
Posts: 3

Re: How to force package installs without all dependencies? (GTK3)

I did see the flags to pacman, -d would make using pacman pretty tedious while --assume would be a pretty long list and would probably increase my chances of accidentally installing the packages. I really wanted to avoid building my own package, but at this point it sounds like the best solution. I _really_ don't think installing GTK3 should result in having a DNS server binding to public interfaces.

Thanks for the help & suggestions.

Last edited by cs_95cc64dd (2020-10-30 15:00:44)

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#8 2021-05-16 03:57:33

Dontpanic42
Member
Registered: 2021-05-16
Posts: 1

Re: How to force package installs without all dependencies? (GTK3)

cs_95cc64dd, did you end up building it? I have the same goal, and searched for it because someone else would probably be persuing a minimal gtk. Would appreciate to know how you did go about this. Tx

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