[SOLVED] Lots of additional packages during update

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dfx

[SOLVED] Lots of additional packages during update

Post by dfx »

Hi,
today I wanted to update my system, but aptitude wants to install a lot of additional packages I don't need. Cause seems to be dependancy change of gnome-core

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Die folgenden NEUEN Pakete werden zusätzlich installiert:
  epiphany-browser{a} epiphany-browser-data{a} evolution{a} 
  evolution-common{a} evolution-plugins{a} evolution-webcal{a} 
  gir1.0-clutter-1.0{a} gir1.0-freedesktop{a} gir1.0-glib-2.0{a} 
  gir1.0-gstreamer-0.10{a} gir1.0-gtk-2.0{a} gir1.0-json-glib-1.0{a} 
  gnome-themes{a} gnome-user-guide{a} libevolution{a} libgtkhtml-editor0{a} 
  libgtkimageview0{a} libseed0{a} 
Die folgenden Pakete werden aktualisiert:
  gnome-core libcairo2 libnm-glib-vpn1 libnm-glib2 libnm-util1 
  libpixman-1-0 mint-artwork-debian mintupdate network-manager tasksel 
  tasksel-data 
11 Pakete aktualisiert, 18 zusätzlich installiert, 0 werden entfernt und 0 nicht aktualisiert.
Any thoughts of a elegant way to prevent the installation of these additional packages?
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 4 times in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
kwevej

Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by kwevej »

the same here

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The following packages will be REMOVED:
  libcairo2-dev libgimp2.0-dev libgtk2.0-dev libpango1.0-dev libpixman-1-dev
The following NEW packages will be installed:
  epiphany-browser epiphany-browser-data evolution evolution-common evolution-plugins evolution-webcal gir1.0-clutter-1.0 gir1.0-freedesktop gir1.0-glib-2.0
  gir1.0-gstreamer-0.10 gir1.0-gtk-2.0 gir1.0-json-glib-1.0 gnome-themes gnome-user-guide libboost-python1.42.0 libevolution libgtkimageview0 libseed0
  libxcb-shm0-dev python-axiom python-clientform python-coherence python-configobj python-epsilon python-louie python-mechanize python-pyasn1 python-tagpy
  python-twisted-conch totem totem-coherence totem-common totem-mozilla totem-plugins ttf-ubuntu-font-family
The following packages will be upgraded:
  gnome-core libcairo2 libnm-glib-vpn1 libnm-glib2 libnm-util1 libpixman-1-0 live-installer-slideshow mint-artwork-debian mintupdate network-manager opera
  tasksel tasksel-data
Don't wanna totem nor epiphany ...
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rivenathos
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Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by rivenathos »

The "gnome-core" package was in today's regular Squeeze updates. That is why you are seeing those additions. Due to some recent changes in "gnome-core," evolution and totem are now included.

http://packages.debian.org/squeeze/gnome-core
Current hardware: a Dell OptiPlex 3010 desktop, a Dell Inspiron 531 desktop, and a Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop.
Current OS: LMDE 3
CiaW

Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by CiaW »

I'm glad I checked here before checking for updates, I don't want Evolution installed as I use claws-mail. I also see there's an update to Opera from 10.63 to 11. I just unselected that one.

To remove the evolution and other updates, I opened the mintupdate gui and under preferences there's a tab for packages to ignore, I added evolution and evolution-plugins and a couple others and selected apply, one at a time until I had them all. It's now downloading the updates so that should work for other packages too?

However, it appears it took those off the list of selected updates and downloaded them anyway because as it's installing I see it updating evolution and evolution-common.

Now I'm going to see if synaptic will let me remove those packages. Nope, I selected remove evolution and for dependencies it wanted to remove gnome-core, which is probably not a good plan. So it looks like we're stuck with those packages.... :?
dfx

Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by dfx »

If i set "gnome-core" to hold in aptitude the additions are not downloaded, but I'm not sure if it breaks somthing in the longterm
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rivenathos
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Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by rivenathos »

There is a way to break the "gnome-core" metapackage. It will remove that package only and NOT all the others associated with it. All those packages will then be listed as manually installed. In the long run, it might cause problems, but then again, I have done it numerous times with nothing bad happening. It is up to you if you want to do it, and I highly suggest you research before doing anything that can trash your system.

The best way to do it is to break the metapackage before doing any updates:

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aptitude keep-all
apt-get remove gnome-core
aptitude keep-all
With that one metapackage gone, everything else should still be there. You can update without Evolution and other new programs being installed.

If you have already upgraded, following the same procedure above will allow you to now remove individual files without having everything else removed.

Is this the best option? Maybe, maybe not. It works for now. In the future, not sure if something coming up will depend on that "gnome-core" package being there. This is an issue I am sure Clem and the other guys are looking into. In the meantime, if you want to do surgery, this is most likely the safest option you have. I do wish you good luck.
Current hardware: a Dell OptiPlex 3010 desktop, a Dell Inspiron 531 desktop, and a Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop.
Current OS: LMDE 3
gotjazz

Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by gotjazz »

hrm yeah - i remember i think it was ikey mentioning how they got evolution our of the first lmde iso without removing gnome-core. Don't remember how exactly though. Guess whatever it was it'll have to happen again.

I'm kind of puzzled why all those things would be included with gnome-core anyway. I mean it's called gnome-CORE!!!
Especially epiphany seems extremely useless for most people....
(nothing against it itself but there are soooo many browsers around and everyone has their own preference. And doesn't debian even force you to have at least one it recognizes installed? Or does that come from upstream gnome?)
mads

Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by mads »

rivenathos wrote:The best way to do it is to break the metapackage before doing any updates:

Code: Select all

aptitude keep-all
apt-get remove gnome-core
aptitude keep-all
With that one metapackage gone, everything else should still be there. You can update without Evolution and other new programs being installed.
Thank you rivenathos. I just did the above steps followed by apt-get dist-upgrade. And it worked. None of those "additional" packages were installed, while other
packages were upgraded as they should.

Lets hope Clem & Co. have figured out a solution to this issue before any packages that depend on "gnome-core" come up.
oOarthurOo

Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by oOarthurOo »

Ok, so you guys have gnome-core on your system? As root in a terminal type aptitude without anything else, the handy-dandy ncurses interface opens up. Press "/" to search and enter gnome-core then hit enter. first package is not the droids you're looking for. Hit / then enter quickly until it shows up. Now that its in front of you and you have it selected hit enter while on it. A new "page" opens up. You go back to the old one by hitting 'q' to quit this page. But don't quit yet, we're not done!

This page is info about gnome-core. You'll see everything under depends is installed, or maybe broken - not sure I understood what was going on in the above recommendations - and under that is recommends, which may or may not be installed, and under that is suggests, most of which probably aren't installed. Anyway, for each package under gnome-core press 'm' to mark is as manually installed. Except evolution and any others that you don't want. When done, hit 'q' to go back to the first screen and press "-" or "_" to delete or purge, then 'g' to apply. gnome-core should be removed, and any future changes won't bring in any new packages.

This isn't the "best" way to do it. I'm not sure what the best way is. But it is a safe way that the package manager will be happy about.
oOarthurOo

Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by oOarthurOo »

dfx wrote:If i set "gnome-core" to hold in aptitude the additions are not downloaded, but I'm not sure if it breaks somthing in the longterm
A couple other solutions are posted that are preferable to this one. Avoiding updating isn't really solving the problem as much as avoiding.
mads

Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by mads »

Thanks for the link, although the workarounds given there are already mentioned by "rivenathos" and "oOarthurOo" here.
dfx

Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by dfx »

Thanks to all for the information and solutions. I have removed the meta-package now.
mads

Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by mads »

Two questions in regard to removing "gnome-core" meta-package:
1. If any new dependencies are added to gnome-core, will APT notify me of these additional packages?
2. How about the transition from Gnome 2.x to Gnome 3 later on?
dfx

Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by dfx »

There's also a bug report at debian for gnome-core http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=607266, but it doesn't sound very promising. They also suggest not to use or to remove the meta-package and install the desired packages by hand
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rivenathos
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Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by rivenathos »

I saw an interesting fix in that bug report:

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aptitude unmarkauto ~R^gnome-core$
aptitude remove gnome-core
That looks more professional than the way I have done it. :D
Current hardware: a Dell OptiPlex 3010 desktop, a Dell Inspiron 531 desktop, and a Dell Inspiron 1545 laptop.
Current OS: LMDE 3
secipolla

Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by secipolla »

One way is to boot to the command line, remove gnome-core and install the packages that used to make gnome-core:

eog
gedit
gnome-applets
gnome-control-center
gnome-icon-theme
gnome-menus
gnome-panel
gnome-power-manager
gnome-session
gnome-settings-daemon
gnome-terminal
gvfs
metacity
nautilus
yelp
1. Install (+) eog, gedit, gnome-session, gnome-terminal and yelp.
2. Install gnome-applets, gnome-control-center and gnome-power-manager as recommendations (+M).
http://forums.debian.net/viewtopic.php?p=336556#p336556
mads

Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by mads »

mads wrote:Two questions in regard to removing "gnome-core" meta-package:
1. If any new dependencies are added to gnome-core, will APT notify me of these additional packages?
2. How about the transition from Gnome 2.x to Gnome 3 later on?
Nobody has answered these questions, yet.

In the meantime, I have decided to re-install gnome-core and all additional packages.

However, I unchecked these entries in Mint Menu:
a. Menu > Internet > Epiphany Web Browser
b. Menu > Internet > Evolution Mail
c. Menu > Office > Evolution Mail and Calendar
d. Menu > Preferences > Email Settings
and disabled "Evolution Alarm Notify" in Menu > Applications > Preferences > Startup Applications
oOarthurOo

Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by oOarthurOo »

mads wrote:Two questions in regard to removing "gnome-core" meta-package:
1. If any new dependencies are added to gnome-core, will APT notify me of these additional packages?
2. How about the transition from Gnome 2.x to Gnome 3 later on?
1. Not if gnome-core isn't installed no. If it is, then when you type "aptitude full-upgrade" it will pause before proceeding to tell you 'x number of packages will be upgraded and 'y' installed'. You'll have to cancel to examine why new packages are being installed. If, on the other hand you type "aptitude safe-upgrade" then nothing new will be installed, only existing packages upgraded. Not too sure about what warnings will be produced.

2. This is something I'm interested in myself, as I'm running sid. Frankly, there is going to be some serious breakages in the coming months as gnome3 pieces are rolled out, but since you're running testing (or Mint based on Testing) you should be spared most of that breakage.

In general, I recommend avoiding metapackages. They're fine for beginner's who don't understand what each package does, but if you know what evolution is, and know what empathy is, and know what eog is, then I think you're at the point where you can remove meta-packages altogether.
kruijf

Re: Lots of additional packages during update

Post by kruijf »

I'm wondering what is the reason to delete this meta package?
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