Bug#627996: Tool to automatically mark packages as auto-installed

[Mente Binária | Sérgio Santos]

"So, the list of unmarked packages now potentially includes all dependencies of xfce4:  xfwm4, xfconf, xfce4-settings, xfce4-panel, xfdesktop4, thunar, xfce4-utils,  gtk2-engines-xfce, xfce4-session, xfce4-appfinder, xfce4-mixer, orage,  xorg, desktop-base, thunar-volman, tango-icon-theme, xfce4-notifyd but I only ever wanted two packages, and I dont care about these others.  The system has mixed the packages I dont want with those I do, and I must manually intervene to restore order!" Yes, but i see this as less of a problem than having to go through a huge list of improperly marked packages. But i guess you're right, i am proposing a half-baked solution to a problem that shouldn't exist in the first place. Still, the problem does exist: often, after installing a package (if i don't perform that procedure of mine) i notice that many of the automatically installed packages are marked as manually installed. For example (and i have just checked this on purpose), if i mark the package "ubuntu-desktop" for installation, the packages "at-spi2-core", "baobab" and some other dependencies (and i do mean dependencies, not recommendations) are not marked as auto-installed. Maybe i'm asking the wrong person, but why is that? Are there different types/levels of dependency flags? By the way, i use Synaptic 0.75.9ubuntu1 on Xubuntu 12.04. On 15/04/13 14:31, Daniel Hartwig wrote: On 15 April 2013 16:46, Mente Binária | Sérgio Santos <sergio...@mentebinaria.com> wrote: Wow, i had already forgotten about this request. "It is not appropriate to implement features like this within any particular apt front-end. A separate utility program is acceptable (...)" I agree, though this utility might later be integrated in Synaptic. "and that program is deborphan" I disagree. deborphan's purpose is to find unnecessary libraries. What i propose is something different. It is for any programs and works just like you describe, but without munging the apt auto-installed information. Right now, when you install a package with recommendations or dependencies, if you later uninstall that package some of the dependencies/recommendations (i haven't quite figured this out yet) are left behind - and deborphan won't spot them. after marking a package for install i visit Custom Filters > Marked Changes and mark all other packages as "automatically installed". If i ever remove that first package, Synaptic will show me the others under Status > Installed (auto removable). This is supposed to happen automatically. If you find specific cases where it does not report a bug. There have been many issues getting this to work over the years, most are resolved now. It is likely that over time these issues have spoiled the auto-installed information on your system leading to these work-arounds you propose. With the issues resolved, things will work much better (once you restore the auto-installed information). Entertaining your example: Now, let's look at this from a common user's point of view: you ran that utility at one point; So I really like these packages and intentially ask for them to be installed: thunar, xfce4-mixer under normal operation, apt will remember these as manually installed. This is great, as I don't want them removed unless I specifically ask for that. I also have xfce4 installed, which depends on these two. When I run your program it will mark both thunar and xfce4-mixer as auto-installed. now, after uninstalling an important meta-package (something like "xfce4"), a whole bunch of them shows up as "auto removable". No problem. Run the "auto-mark" feature again (just a suggestion for a name) and it will unmark only the most relevant packages (the ones without dependants). So, the list of unmarked packages now potentially includes all dependencies of xfce4: xfwm4, xfconf, xfce4-settings, xfce4-panel, xfdesktop4, thunar, xfce4-utils, gtk2-engines-xfce, xfce4-session, xfce4-appfinder, xfce4-mixer, orage, xorg, desktop-base, thunar-volman, tango-icon-theme, xfce4-notifyd but I only ever wanted two packages, and I dont care about these others. The system has mixed the packages I dont want with those I do, and I must manually intervene to restore order. #! With the intended auto-installed semantics, this happens: # apt-get install thunar xfce4-mixer # apt-get install xfce4 # apt-get remove xfce4 # apt-get autoremove I am left with exactly thunar and xfce4-mixer installed, and I never had to look at the list of other dependencies to do this. The system remembers that I asked for these two packages and keeps them around. This is the whole point of having some packages marked auto-installed and others manual, a point defeated by your proposal which loses the information about manually installed packages. So, why do I want to run your program everytime I remove something/something big? It will cause a lot of work for me later to keep inspecting the non-marked-manual packages for those I dont want. Seems like a one-shot deal to not-quite restore lost auto-installed information. -- Mente Binaria Consultancy in Computers, Internet and Technologies Website:  http://mentebinaria.com Email:  sergio...@mentebinaria.com Phone:  +351 914 851 766