Saucy screensaver

[Cavsfan]

When I try to remove gnome-screensaver and install xscreensaver like in the past several distros it wants to take the gnome session with it:

cavsfan@cavsfan-MS-7529:~$ sudo apt-get remove gnome-screensaver
[sudo] password for cavsfan: 
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  gnome-screensaver gnome-session-fallback gnome-session-flashback
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 3 to remove and 4 not upgraded.
After this operation, 941 kB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?

I don't want to remove the other 2 just the gnome-screensaver. Xscreensaver has to be manually started up at each login.
Any ideas?

[Harry33]

When I try to remove gnome-screensaver and install xscreensaver like in the past several distros it wants to take the gnome session with it:

cavsfan@cavsfan-MS-7529:~$ sudo apt-get remove gnome-screensaver
[sudo] password for cavsfan: 
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  gnome-screensaver gnome-session-fallback gnome-session-flashback
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 3 to remove and 4 not upgraded.
After this operation, 941 kB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?

I don't want to remove the other 2 just the gnome-screensaver. Xscreensaver has to be manually started up at each login.
Any ideas?

This is because the gnome-session-flashback depends on gnome-screensaver.
However, I do not know why.
You can remove the transitional package gnome-session-fallback.

[jbicha]

This is because the gnome-session-flashback depends on gnome-screensaver.
However, I do not know why.
You can remove the transitional package gnome-session-fallback.

Look at

/usr/share/gnome-session/sessions/gnome-flashback.session

You're welcome to file a bug. It might be possible to use Debian's alternative system to handle this use case.

[Cavsfan]

This is because the gnome-session-flashback depends on gnome-screensaver.
However, I do not know why.
You can remove the transitional package gnome-session-fallback.

I do now see that gnome-session-fallback is just a transitional package and can be safely removed. I'll do that. Thanks.

Look at

/usr/share/gnome-session/sessions/gnome-flashback.session

You're welcome to file a bug. It might be possible to use Debian's alternative system to handle this use case.

cavsfan@cavsfan-MS-7529:~$ cat /usr/share/gnome-session/sessions/gnome-flashback.session
[GNOME Session]
Name=GNOME Flashback (No effects)
RequiredComponents=gnome-panel;gnome-settings-daemon;gnome-screensaver;metacity;

This is going to sound kind of lame but, I don't know how to file a bug or use Debian's alternative system. All I have ever done is add my name to an already existing bug that also affects me.

Can I just edit that file and remove "gnome-screensaver"? Is that the fix so that I can uninstall it and have xscreensaver work at startup?

I guess this one too:

cavsfan@cavsfan-MS-7529:/usr/share/gnome-session/sessions$ cat /usr/share/gnome-session/sessions/gnome-flashback-compiz.session
[GNOME Session]
Name=GNOME Flashback
RequiredComponents=gnome-panel;gnome-settings-daemon;gnome-screensaver;compiz;

[Cavsfan]

I edited those two files and still get the same results when attempting to remove gnome-screensaver.
It still wants to take gnome-session-flashback with it.

cavsfan@cavsfan-MS-7529:~$ cat /usr/share/gnome-session/sessions/gnome-flashback.session 
[GNOME Session]
Name=GNOME Flashback (No effects)
RequiredComponents=gnome-panel;gnome-settings-daemon;metacity;

cavsfan@cavsfan-MS-7529:~$ cat /usr/share/gnome-session/sessions/gnome-flashback-compiz.session 
[GNOME Session]
Name=GNOME Flashback
RequiredComponents=gnome-panel;gnome-settings-daemon;compiz;

BTW I am logging into Gnome Flashback which is odd according to the file name of the session. It also has no icon on the white dot on the login screen while all of the others do.
Another odd thing is that in SPM when I click on gnome-screensaver properties and then dependencies it says that it conflicts with gnome-screensaver.

While the properties for gnome-session-flashback lists gnome-screensaver as it's first dependency.

[zika]

Dpkg/apt-get and others do not check files You're trying to edit...
Did You try to use dpkg with --ignore-depends...?
I think I did manage to purge one package long time ago with that switch...
Use --simulate before You do commit...

[Cavsfan]

Dpkg/apt-get and others do not check files You're trying to edit...
Did You try to use dpkg with --ignore-depends...?
I think I did manage to purge one package long time ago with that switch...
Use --simulate before You do commit...

Thanks zika. I'll try that.

Here is the bug I finally figured out how to file it. https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/1199074

[Cavsfan]

Would this be the command to remove gnome-screensaver?

sudo dpkg -P gnome-screensaver --ignore-depends=gnome-session-fallback, gnome-session-flashback

Looked at the man page for dpkg and came up with the above. But, I would like some positive feedback before I do it.

I already have xscreensaver installed.

[mc4man]

Your command is backwards - more like
sudo dpkg --ignore-depends=gnome-session-flashback -P gnome-screensaver
While that will remove gnome-screensaver you'll still end up with broken package

I'd just the unpack gnome-session-flashback .deb, edit the control file to remove the dependency, repack & install the edited .deb
gnome-session-fallback can be removed, no need to keep installed.
If inclined to do so I'll point you to a script or it can be done manually (best would be to rebuild gnome-session-fallback without the dep

[Cavsfan]

Your command is backwards - more like
sudo dpkg --ignore-depends=gnome-session-flashback -P gnome-screensaver
While that will remove gnome-screensaver you'll still end up with broken package

I'd just the unpack gnome-session-flashback .deb, edit the control file to remove the dependency, repack & install the edited .deb
gnome-session-fallback can be removed, no need to keep installed.
If inclined to do so I'll point you to a script or it can be done manually (best would be to rebuild gnome-session-fallback without the dep

Thanks for that! I am glad I didn't just jump on it. I can just remove gnome-session-fallback as it is a transitional package right?
Then I haven't a clue how to unpack gnome-session-flashback .deb, edit it, etc.
Thanks for the help!