Argh! Hidden files!

Gullible Jones · 2005-02-23 13:43:19

Could someone please implement a Pacman option to remove all traces of the program removed, including hidden files/folders? Most don't take up much space, but they can add a certain element of clutter, and all the DLLs from the win32codecs package can be pretty bulky...

Xentac · 2005-02-23 15:30:54

If pacman knows about the file, it'll delete it.

The only files it won't delete are the config files -- it'll rename them to .pacsave. If you want them deleted too, use -Rn.

About these hidden files... if they're in any dir other than /home, the package should be deleting them when it's removed, file a bug report. If directories are within your home, pacman can't (and shouldn't) do anything about them.

Gullible Jones · 2005-02-25 21:34:55

Why shouldn't it do anything about them? Couldn't there be an option to remove crap from the /home/* directories? As I said, the win32 codecs are stored in /home/*, and they take up a lot of space!

iphitus · 2005-02-26 02:15:36

This is an 'issue' which is simply opinion.

If a package, removed all its configuration, from your home directory and wherever, then when you possibly reinstall the package at a later date, you have to reconfigure it.

Some people like having the config stay. I do. I switch between different programs and wm/de's more than a kangaroo hops.

If i remove fluxbox or fvwm and it took my preciously crafted config files, i would be pissed off.

Occasionally, I also remove programs and compile a version from CVS. Yeah I *could* do a pkgbuild, but i tend to be too lazy to.

So it's personal choice, I and most people would prefer things stayed. It creates a little bit of mess, but nothing that cant be quickly cleared out. Its not like the average config file takes much room anyway, couple o kb usually. Yeah there are some exceptions but not alot.

iphitus

sarah31 · 2005-02-27 12:31:29

it doesn't remove those files in /home/~ because those files do not exist at install time. pacman can only remove those files it know it installed. Everthing else is up to you (I don't know of any package manager that removes config files from /home/~

cmp · 2005-02-27 12:44:27

iphitus wrote:

Some people like having the config stay. I do. I switch between different programs and wm/de's more than a kangaroo hops.
If i remove fluxbox or fvwm and it took my preciously crafted config files, i would be pissed off.

It's also quite nice, if you keep you $HOME at an extra partition, evertime you install another distribution you feel at home

So it's personal choice, I and most people would prefer things stayed. It creates a little bit of mess, but nothing that cant be quickly cleared out. Its not like the average config file takes much room anyway, couple o kb usually. Yeah there are some exceptions but not alot.

I think there should be one big directory for config files, something like .config and not hidden files/directories for every application, but that's just my opinion.

sarah31 · 2005-02-27 17:23:24

cmp wrote:

I think there should be one big directory for config files, something like .config and not hidden files/directories for every application, but that's just my opinion.

there are lots of simple "nice" things like this that the Linux community could impliment but the problem is getting agreement on it that everyone likes. Then comes the problem of trying to get developers to comply with standards such as this.

I think there is alot of resistance to stuff like this because dimwits out there think it is restricting them in some way.

IceRAM · 2005-02-27 19:52:13

cmp wrote:

I think there should be one big directory for config files, something like .config and not hidden files/directories for every application, but that's just my opinion.

http://freedesktop.org/Standards/basedir-spec
There's still the problem of adopting the standards....

Arch Linux

#1 2005-02-23 13:43:19

Argh! Hidden files!

#2 2005-02-23 15:30:54

Re: Argh! Hidden files!

#3 2005-02-25 21:34:55

Re: Argh! Hidden files!

#4 2005-02-26 02:15:36

Re: Argh! Hidden files!

#5 2005-02-27 12:31:29

Re: Argh! Hidden files!

#6 2005-02-27 12:44:27

Re: Argh! Hidden files!

#7 2005-02-27 17:23:24

Re: Argh! Hidden files!

#8 2005-02-27 19:52:13

Re: Argh! Hidden files!

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