jerremy-tamlin
December 28th, 2008, 01:24 PM
I have started this thread in response to the Wiki article MetaPackages (https://help.ubuntu.com/community/MetaPackages) where there was some contention regarding these packages being "recommended not to be removed"
Here is my two cents...
I like Aptitudes ability to mark packages as being either Manually or Automatically installed. In a previous install earlier this year I lost track of what programs/applications I had installed and was certain there must have been many that I didn't use but that weren't in my Applications menu. So now having reinstalled (Kubuntu this time) using the alternate-CD I wanted to use aptitude to keep track of what I had installed...
However, I quickly ran into a problem. Many of my packages were already marked Manually installed including certain linux-headers-2.6.24-19 & linux-headers-2.6.24-19-generic which had already been replaced by linux-headers-2.6.24-22 & linux-headers-2.6.24-22-generic but not removed. I can only assume this was because they were marked Manually Installed.
So commenced a process of trial and error discovering which meta-packages I could mark as manual that would enable everything else to be kept. This was an almost clean install, having only been using it for about two weeks.
Here are my results:
linux-generic You need a linux kernal!
ubuntu-standard & ubuntu-minimal I Needed Both
kubuntu-desktop & kdebase I Needed Both
language-pack-en Replace en with your language if not english
language-pack-kde-en If you use kde you need this too, probably something similar for gnome.
openoffice.org Unless you don't want it
firefox-2 Or other browser you want. If you use konqueror thats included in both the kubuntu packages
installation-report This keeps a log of your installation and can help when sending bug reports.
kubuntu-restricted-extras If you want them
Marking all other packages as Auto made aptitude automatically remove linux-headers-2.6.24-19 & linux-headers-2.6.24-19-generic and allowed all my other programs to remain based on the dependency of these meta-packages.
Now if I install anything else it will be marked as manual and I'll be able to do a simple search
aptitude search '!~M~i' and see what programs I have installed. :D
Regarding the "recommended not to be removed" question. I think this is most likely because when distributions are upgraded the maintainers can easily change the dependency of these meta-packages to the new distribution and your system will know that there is a new distribution that it can be upgraded to. Not at all sure if this is how it actually happens though it's just my speculation.
Have a great day and I hope this info is useful.
Please add to it.
Cheers :P
Here is my two cents...
I like Aptitudes ability to mark packages as being either Manually or Automatically installed. In a previous install earlier this year I lost track of what programs/applications I had installed and was certain there must have been many that I didn't use but that weren't in my Applications menu. So now having reinstalled (Kubuntu this time) using the alternate-CD I wanted to use aptitude to keep track of what I had installed...
However, I quickly ran into a problem. Many of my packages were already marked Manually installed including certain linux-headers-2.6.24-19 & linux-headers-2.6.24-19-generic which had already been replaced by linux-headers-2.6.24-22 & linux-headers-2.6.24-22-generic but not removed. I can only assume this was because they were marked Manually Installed.
So commenced a process of trial and error discovering which meta-packages I could mark as manual that would enable everything else to be kept. This was an almost clean install, having only been using it for about two weeks.
Here are my results:
linux-generic You need a linux kernal!
ubuntu-standard & ubuntu-minimal I Needed Both
kubuntu-desktop & kdebase I Needed Both
language-pack-en Replace en with your language if not english
language-pack-kde-en If you use kde you need this too, probably something similar for gnome.
openoffice.org Unless you don't want it
firefox-2 Or other browser you want. If you use konqueror thats included in both the kubuntu packages
installation-report This keeps a log of your installation and can help when sending bug reports.
kubuntu-restricted-extras If you want them
Marking all other packages as Auto made aptitude automatically remove linux-headers-2.6.24-19 & linux-headers-2.6.24-19-generic and allowed all my other programs to remain based on the dependency of these meta-packages.
Now if I install anything else it will be marked as manual and I'll be able to do a simple search
aptitude search '!~M~i' and see what programs I have installed. :D
Regarding the "recommended not to be removed" question. I think this is most likely because when distributions are upgraded the maintainers can easily change the dependency of these meta-packages to the new distribution and your system will know that there is a new distribution that it can be upgraded to. Not at all sure if this is how it actually happens though it's just my speculation.
Have a great day and I hope this info is useful.
Please add to it.
Cheers :P