Arch Linux

AceTheFace

Member

From: Ulm/Germany

Registered: 2005-03-21

Posts: 14

A few thoughts about remove dependent packages

Hi,

at the moment archlinux, gentoo etc. aren't afaik able to remove all non-more-used depent packages while removing a software packet.
For example if I'm installing digikam, it depends on 'libkexif' 'libkipi' 'libgphoto2' 'imlib2' 'x-server'.
pacman -R just removes digikam self, no libkipi etc. Ok, perhaps an other package needs libkipi and pacman doesn't know it, so the safe solution is to leave the packages at the hard-disc.
But isn't there an easy solution for that?

My idea is:

There's a file called dependencies with two attributes in each line.
pkgname #ofPackagesWhichNeedit

So after installing a Package, the dependencies and the package itself were added to this file (if they don't exist yet) and their counter is set to 1 (or just incremented).
While removing a package the dependencies-file is checked and the counter of all depent packages (and of the package self) is decremented. Afterwards all packages with counter "0" were removed.
So you can be sure, there's no un-fullfilled dependency on your system.

Of course this system just works on new installed systems and can't be installed afterwards to work properly.

Is there sth. I forgot? Any major problem I ignored? Or is this feature just unwanted (can't imagine that  )

Thx for reading.

Regards,
Ace

P.s.: Sorry for my funny english 

Pp.s.: Oh, there's a special pacman-forum, sorry, perhaps a mod could move this...

cmp

Member

Registered: 2005-01-03

Posts: 350

Re: A few thoughts about remove dependent packages

have you tried pacman -Rs ? removes a packages with all dependencies, which are not neede by other applications.

AceTheFace

Member

From: Ulm/Germany

Registered: 2005-03-21

Posts: 14

Re: A few thoughts about remove dependent packages

have you tried pacman -Rs ? removes a packages with all dependencies, which are not neede by other applications.

Ok....point for you

stonecrest

Member

From: Boulder

Registered: 2005-01-22

Posts: 1,190

Re: A few thoughts about remove dependent packages

Don't worry AceTheFace, I used to think the same thing. Can someone explain why the -Rs option is not the default?

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I am a gated community.

i3839

Member

Registered: 2004-02-04

Posts: 1,185

Re: A few thoughts about remove dependent packages

Perhaps because it isn't logical that if you tell Pacman to remove X, it also removes Y and Z.

pixel

Member

From: Living in the Server Room

Registered: 2005-02-21

Posts: 119

Re: A few thoughts about remove dependent packages

The best option is -Rcs

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Favorite systems: ArchLinux, OpenBSD
"Yes, I love UNIX"

i3839

Member

Registered: 2004-02-04

Posts: 1,185

Re: A few thoughts about remove dependent packages

Don't forget the -n option.