On 2021-06-04 at 17:43, Jon Gough wrote: > On 9/5/21 5:40 pm, Andrey Rahmatullin wrote: > >> On Sun, May 09, 2021 at 04:41:13PM +1000, Jon Gough wrote:
>>> I now know what path I need to follow, i.e. have a plugin manager >>> that uses the platform installation process so that the uninstall >>> process will work and the packages and objects will be tracked. >> >> If this means calling apt from a plugin manager then it's probably >> not the best idea. > > Not quite. The plugin manager needs to keep track of what it has > installed and where, then during the uninstall process it can be > called, if needed, to perform the cleanup as it would if the main > program were calling it to uninstall one or more plugins. I'm... fairly sure that the uninstall process must not touch the contents of user directories, not even indirectly by invoking an external program (such as this plugin manager) which would do so on its behalf. If I'm wrong, someone may correct me, but I would be surprised if it were that easy to bypass this constraint on package design. > In most instances the main application is installed on devices that > have only one user, i.e. phone, tablet, etc.. Even when on a multi > user device, i.e. windows, the device is still only used by one > account. How can you possibly be sure about that? (Also, if someone is installing packages on a tablet or smartphone via apt, they are very likely sufficiently expert to have some idea of how to clean up after the uninstall as needed; if there's a device in those categories which uses apt for native install mechanisms, rather than as an aftermarket extra tool, I'm not aware of it.) > If the uninstall process is run for the main application any other > account using the machine will have issues if they expect the main > application to still be there. So, in this case uninstalling plugins > during the main uninstall process would not be a major issue. The > config files/data would not be uninstalled/removed by this process. And what if the user is uninstalling, but intends to install again later (maybe even right away)? To have to re-download and reinstall the plugins could easily be a significant irritation, at the least. Personally, I would probably see the plugins as being part of the program configuration; certainly I do so with e.g. the Firefox extensions I use. I genuinely do not see what insisting on uninstalling plugins at the same time as the main program, for all user accounts, provides as a benefit. The only maybe benefit I've seen suggested is cleaning up to free disk space, and that seems to me to be so obviously heavily outweighed by the other considerations that it should clearly not be the deciding priority. -- The Wanderer The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore all progress depends on the unreasonable man. -- George Bernard Shaw
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