Uninstalling Apps...
Forum: Apps
Topic: Uninstalling Apps...
started by: somerville32@hotmail.com
Posted by somerville32@hotmail.com on Oct. 12 2004,20:19
Alrighty, how do I uninstall MyDSL applications that I have downloaded?---------
A simple question deserves a simple answer
---------
~me
Posted by guest on Oct. 12 2004,20:42
simple answer< here >
Posted by SaidinUnleashed on Oct. 12 2004,20:51
umm, yeah, that really didn't help.the only way I know of is to use emelfm to browse the contents of the .tar.gz file and to manually remove every item.
long and tedious, but still better than doing a fresh install...
-J.P.
SaidinUnleashed
Posted by ke4nt1 on Oct. 12 2004,23:24
Only problem with that COULD BE that the installed .dsl or .tar.gzOVERWROTE a file that was an earlier version, a lib, e.g.
( specifically, the "red" level extensions, which DO overwrite base files )
Then the question becomes..
How do I get my old files back that the extension overwrote ?
or
How do I know if a file was overwritten, before I reboot and
find my filesystem broken ?
73
ke4nt
Posted by roberts on Oct. 13 2004,00:51
Simple question, simple answer. Reboot.The myDSL was designed as an easy way to give liveCD users access to what the hard drive users always had. Since it was designed for liveCD, you don't need package management. Just reboot as all extensions write to the ramdisk.
For hard drive users DSL has Synaptic and the apt package managment system.
Now users like the ease of myDSL extensions and are now using them in a way that was not designed for. They work fine on hard drive install, but know you have chosen to bypass package management and thus it may be difficult to uninstall.
Posted by guest on Oct. 13 2004,07:23
| Quote |
| umm, yeah, that really didn't help. the only way I know of is to use emelfm to browse the contents of the .tar.gz file and to manually remove every item. long and tedious, but still better than doing a fresh install... |
alle the answers above are allmost a copy of the answers the same forummembers have given befor you did even NOT try to find the answer.
Posted by walt_h on Oct. 27 2004,19:57
I've read elsewhere and seen implied here that .dsl extenstions are not intended to be run from a HD install of DSL. But let me give you a scenario and see whether this might actually be case where doing the unintended might be the best (or at least easiest) way to go.I have been battling for the last several days trying to get Feather 0.5.9 working right on my system (not DSL, I know, but please bear with me). I have a Zip drive and a USB scanner on my machine and I also IM with an old friend. So, I need to be able to access the Zip drive, I want to be able to scan pictures using a GUI application (even xscanimage is okay), and I want a GUI ICQ client.
Anyway, after an HD install and all that entailed, I apt-get install Gimp and SANE (with xscanimage) for my scanner, alicq for my IM needs, and things seem to work fine. Then I install AbiWord from a Feather script. Now, xscanimage no longer works and Synaptic (which I also installed from a Feather script) downloads the applications but closes without installing them. The AbiWord installation (version 2.0.1) changed things to the point where launching xscanimage creates a "relocation error: /usr/lib/libgimpwidget-2.0.so.0: underfined symbol: gdk_threads_lock" which no one seems to be able to help me fix. (I've now reinstalled three times, heading for a fourth.)
Would this be an instance where running .dsl versions of AbiWord (and maybe a few others) from the hard drive would allow me to avoid this situation and still have a good word processor at my disposal (Ted is okay, but I prefer AbiWord)? Or am I mistaken in thinking that a .dsl extension is basically self-contained, much like the static .deb files of its browser that Opera makes available on its web site? Or is there another alternative I'm missing? Slow dialup precludes downloading Knoppix or some other "full-blown" distro. Lack of income precludes buying a more "commercial" distro. Plus, I don't want, need, or like KDE or Gnome. Besides, everything else works so well, I hate to give up of a smaller distro like Feather or DSL.
Sorry for the length, and yes, I did search before posting, but have yet to see a situation quite like mine. Thanks in advance for any advice or help anyone can offer.
Walt
Posted by ke4nt1 on Oct. 27 2004,20:13
Why not install abiword from apt-get , like the rest of your apps?Then you get the virtues of package-management that an
apt-get system can provide , and that .dsl's cannot ..
Apt-get should resolve any issues with your challenge.
Update your apt-get to the unstable branch, then install
the gimp, abiword, alicq, and sane thru apt-get..
They should then play nice together..
Chances are, the feather script is also downloading a
static file, which installs without any reliance on apt-get,
just like .dsl's do ..
73
ke4nt
Posted by walt_h on Oct. 27 2004,20:17
Well, I'll give it a try with AbiWord. SANE, and alicq were both installed using apt-get, and I just updated Gimp via apt-get. Feather uses the unstable branch for its source list, so that should already be taken care of.(Takes a deep breath. . .) Here goes. . . Thanks.
Walt
Posted by Aiku on Oct. 27 2004,20:47
I too have messed up my hard drive install using the apt stuff.If the .dsl work; they sure are alot easier to install, use, and enjoy.
So, I give up their removal. Ok with me. Go DSL and mydsl.
Posted by walt_h on Oct. 28 2004,17:34
ke4nt1 -Thanks so much!!! You da man!
I had to reinstall Feather a fifth time (whew!) but then either apt-get installed everything or watched to see where the Feather installation scripts where pointing to.
Now I have AbiWord, Gimp 2.0, alicq, and xscanimage all working, and I am a very happy camper!
Even though this was not a DSL-specific issue, I'm so greatful for your help! Thanks again.Walt
walt_h{at}myrealbox{dot}com
Posted by SaidinUnleashed on Oct. 29 2004,04:29
Since there are a lot of .debs out there that break DSL, not to mention the fact thar the .dsl system is a LOT easier to use, we ought to look into reverse engineering Slackware's package management system, or perhaps using it as a template. Slack's package management evolved from something very similar (I would imagine) to our own MyDSL system.
It's still very similar to the .dsl system. The packages are simply renamed .tar.gz or .tgz files.
Just that Slack keeps a small file for each package so that it remembers where it put everything and can remove it later.
-J.P.
Posted by ke4nt1 on Oct. 29 2004,04:49
The challenge comes from SAVING all the files it modifies or overwrites..For example...
You install a big, fat, recently released .dsl app, we'll call it BigMoFo1.dsl
It updates 12 existing libs in your /usr/lib and /usr/X11R6/lib dirs.
It replaces the old gtk 2.0 with 2.4, and the perl from 5.4 to 5.8.4
And just for fun , it also overwrites several config and system files with
newer larger scripts and texts..
Now keeping a list of the contents of the .dsl file and where it installed
everything is easy..
Simply run " tar -ztf nameofdsl.dsl > list.txt "
Save the list...
The challenge is KEEPING all the stuff it overwrote, modified, replaced, or
otherwise tampered with, so it can return to the state it was before the
.dsl file was installed . This could be a very large cache of files and lists.
And this cache would have to be dynamic, so that when you install the
BigMoFo1.dsl , then the BigMoFo2.dsl, and the BigMoFo3.dsl ,
when you wanted to REMOVE BigMoFo1.dsl , it would KNOW what to
leave alone to support BMF2 and BMF3, while returning the remaining
files that BMF2 and BMF3 don't require back to their original state..
This gets very complicated.. This is where 'dependancies' come into play.
The system HAS to know that BigMoFo2.dsl NEEDS x,y,and z libs, etc.
and x,y,and z libs require that a,b,and c libs are in place PRIOR to installing
the x,y,and z series... So, UNINSTALLING BigMoFo1.dsl can get to be
a very sticky situation indeed..
My thoughts are that the myDSL system does what it was designed to do ..
and does it very well, to be such a simple installation/addon design..
73
ke4nt
Posted by SaidinUnleashed on Oct. 29 2004,05:08
Ah, yes calculating dependencies is a pain. And, honestly, for someone who wants lots of packages and a small size, an expert install of debian (using the 50mb installer cd) is really the best way to go.But if you use MyDSL for package management, when the best way to get rid packages, a reinstall is the best way to go. Besides, even with as slow as a 16x cdrom, the reinstall takes only about 10 minutes.
I am just a little enamored with Slapt-get right now <3.
-J.P.
Posted by timothy on Nov. 01 2004,04:24
I think maybe there should be scripting in .dsl packages for uninstall then just like in windows you would have a dialog that you could access uninstall wizards from this would probably only cost you a couple k of mem to and would add value if it worked what do you think?
Posted by WoofyDugfock on Nov. 12 2004,12:18
Dear Roberts, ke4nt1 et alFor someone who -
1. Has a lot of RAM, so runs liveCD toram
2. Puts the backup/restore tarball on their HD, which contains all of their .deb cache
- I gather the upshot of this thread is that they are entirely better off avoiding .dsl's and instead sticking solely to apt-get, rather than restoring both tarball and .dsl's?
Posted by ico2 on Nov. 12 2004,14:09
simply check each if each file exists before writing, then make a list of all those that did not.
Posted by ke4nt1 on Nov. 12 2004,14:13
The crux of the matter is this..DSL is designed to be the best 50 MB LIVE-CD it can be ...
There are various ways to run this compressed filesystem ...
( Frugal, Poorman's, LiveCD, Embedded ) ...
The backup/restore features available are designed to enhance this design
by offering a writable, restorable method of operation to add function and
expansion to the compressed filesystem ...
The myDSL system is designed to further enhance this compressed
filesystems expansion capabilities, by allowing a user to easily add various
components to a write-limited / read-only filesystem, with the goal in mind
of keeping ram usage to a minimum thru a number of methods ...
( thin extensions, removal of docs/apps/package mgmt files, and installing
to non-typical areas [ /opt /tmp , rather than /usr/bin /usr/share ]
Robert designed this system with The Following Goal In Mind ...
{{{{ To enhance the compressed filesystem in DSL ...}}}}
I welcome his input in this thread ...
DSL does offer a HDInstall method, for those who choose to do so ...
Once installed, you have a non-compressed , debian-like filesystem ...
Then the benefits of the myDSL system and the backup/restore functions
are moot, since your filesystem is now completely writable and all added
components are permanently written to the HD.
At this point, the advantages of the well-designed apt-get package management
kick in, where adding components to your filesystem is very dynamic, with
dependency checks, upgrade paths, and uninstalls available to you ...
Trying to mix the two, HDInstalls and myDSL - backup/restore was never
intended or designed , although by good fortune, many of the extensions do
function nicely as installed items.
And the icons/menu additions to the DSL system are usually welcomed by HDinstallers..
But the apt-get package management DOES NOT recognize
the installed extensions, so you shoot yourself in the foot later on,
by trading convienience for accountability, which may haunt you later by either
rendering your extension unusable, once critical files are overwritten by apt-get,
or creating dependency problems with the apt-get system in the future ...
[ apt-get : xyz needs abc, but it is NOT going to be installed... ]
[ because you don't NEED or WANT to install firefox again...,
but the apt-get system DOESN'T KNOW THAT ...it just thinks it is missing. ]
Mixing the two is NOT recommended ...
73
ke4nt
Posted by ico2 on Nov. 12 2004,14:15
eeeeeeeeeep
Posted by WoofyDugfock on Nov. 12 2004,14:56
Great post Ke4nt1! It's a great system(s). So I had gleaned correctly - the simplest rule is: use one or the other, not both.Perhaps Saidinunleased is noting this for the faq?
(Hilarious response ico2! I'm still smiling).
Posted by roberts on Nov. 12 2004,15:46
Looks like I trained Kent well. His response is well stated. I would only add to "not discourage" those who find that the mydsl method of "click and load" to be far easier than trying to deal with the dependenices of apt, to go ahead and use mydsl on a hard drive install, but, only after you have tested the extension from a liveCD. Just don't mix the two types mydsl and apt, or to ask for an easy way to uninstall mydsl extensions from a hard drive. I do plan on future enhancements dealing with the icons and menu items for those that wish to have more control of the desktop layout. It will benefit both liveCD and hard drive installs. I recall when I was first posting about the design of mydsl. I would always say that the hard drive installed users had the advantage, for us liveCD users were "limited" to what was on the CD. I would say advantage to liveCD. But it appears that the easy and simplicity is attractive to hard disk users as well. So now it really is advantage to DSL. And thanks to all of you who have made the effort to make extensions for that is really the my in myDSL.
Posted by cbagger01 on Nov. 12 2004,23:03
Just to add my 2 cents to the topic:Simple rule:
If you are a hd install user and you want to install a new program and it exists in the Debian apt repository (stable, testing, unstable or experimental) OR it is provided by the author as a downloadable *.deb package file, then use the "apt-get install xxx" or "dpkg -i xxx.deb" commands to install your new program.
Yes, you will need to manually edit your fluxbox menu using a text editor or a tool like WhiteBox.dsl and you will need to create manual desktop icon additions if you prefer, but you will be doing the "right thing" in the long run.
Otherwise, if you are a hdinstall user and your desired program exists as a *.dsl extension AND it does not exist anywhere under the Debian system then you should bite the bullet and do a myDSL extension installation because what else are you going to do? Avoid the program completely?
For example, the whitebox 5.0patched extension is unavailable as a Debian package so if you need this program you are forced to either do the myDSL extension install or to compile from source.
I wish things were a little more "cut-n-dry" but this is the best advice that I can give you on the topic.
Posted by Me! on Sep. 28 2005,14:36
| Quote (ke4nt1 @ Nov. 12 2004,09:13) |
| DSL is designed to be the best 50 MB LIVE-CD it can be ... --snip--- The backup/restore features available are designed to enhance this design by offering a writable, restorable method of operation to add function and expansion to the compressed filesystem ... The myDSL system is designed to further enhance this compressed filesystems expansion capabilities, by allowing a user to easily add various components to a write-limited / read-only filesystem, with the goal in mind of keeping ram usage to a minimum thru a number of methods ... ( thin extensions, removal of docs/apps/package mgmt files, and installing to non-typical areas [ /opt /tmp , rather than /usr/bin /usr/share ] Robert designed this system with The Following Goal In Mind ... {{{{ To enhance the compressed filesystem in DSL ...}}}} I welcome his input in this thread ... DSL does offer a HDInstall method, for those who choose to do so ... --snip-- Mixing the two is NOT recommended ... |
Bumping this topic after doing a search.
I have been using DSL off and on for about nine months, mostly off. I finally have some time to really take a serious look at it.
I am using DSL off the CD, and do have plenty of H.D. space. I have chosen not to do a Hard Drive install, at this time, but I do make my backups there, which load fine on reboots.
However if I use MyDSL to download the latest FireFox update, or get any application, once the system reboots they are gone.
From what I understand if I want to save the updates or features I installed and use the CD method I would need to remaster a CD for my needs?
-edit-
sorry, I did a search and replied, I don't think this is the correct topic for my question.
Posted by Freestyle Assassin on Oct. 08 2005,11:45
I guess this could go in this topic:Is it possible to uninstall some of the apps that come with the original DSL Distro? Such as firefox, or xpdf for an example. I'm trying to make a box speciffically for programming, so I wanted to remove all the extra junk. Any help would be greatly appreciated!
Posted by adssse on Oct. 08 2005,12:19
As far as I know there is no "uninstall" option for the apps that come with dsl. I believe you would have to track down the files for the apps and delete them.