In foo.debian-dpkg, you wrote: > Hi, > > I'm new to Debian and I appreciate you work. > I think dpkg is an excellent tool for manupulating system configuration. > However it has a minor but important shortcoming. > > Let me describe it: > > Think of installing Netscape4. > As many of you know it depends on motifnls, libc5, etc... > > Selecting Netscape4 in dselect list implies auto-selection of these > packages. That's fine. However if I want to uninstall netscape4 and > deselect netscape4 in dselect list, only the netscape4 package is > uninstalled. That is; motifnls, libc5, etc.. are left on the system. > > I'm aware that these packages can not be deinstalled automatically > since someother packed can depend on it. > > But what if those packages do not associate with any other dependency > within the system. Not uninstalling such packages means cluttering the > system with unnecessary packages. This is a "Windows"ish behaviour. :) > As many of you know windows applications bring dll's to the system. > Even if you uninstall these applications these dll's and someother > files are left on the system. What happens in our (Debian) system is not > exactly of this type but it causes inefficient disk usage. > > I know this is something that can not be handled automatically. > However dpkg+dselect system may inform the user in some appropriate way. > > For instance it may say: > > "You are uninstalling X. > X depends on Y, Z, W, V > And it seems that no other package depends on Y, Z, W, V > Do you also want to uninstall Y, Z, W, V?" > > or something like that... > I think such a mechanism is needed.
This has been discussed and addressed in debian-admintool. See the archives for details. Also see Wichert's apt design document. It details an 'Auto' status field that signifies a package should be removed if nothing depends on it. -Mitch
