Safe to Remove PackageKit?

[johnywhy]

Mint 19 xfce

I need to optimize disk space and RAM.
I already removed the "Software" application, because i manage packages with Synaptic and command-line.
So far, so good.

From what i've read on the web, PackageKit is used only by the Software application. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PackageKit
Correct?

If so, then i want to remove PackageKit.
But, when i try to remove all PackageKit components in synaptic, it wants to remove lots of important-sounding stuff.
Any suggestions?

Update:
Instead of removing ALL packages with PackageKit in their name, i only removed the main packagekit package. That required removal of far fewer packages, none of which seemed critical. On reboot, no probs yet.

Here are the 2 packages which i didn't remove:
gir1.2-packagekitglib-1.0
libpackagekit-glib2-18

PackageKit.jpg

[smurphos]

You are doing the right thing checking the impact of removals and holding back if other non-consequential packages are going to be removed.

Just keep your timeshift up to date and keep a note of what you are removing and what gets removed with them (or acquaint yourself with the various apt logs or synaptics history function) so should you come across some ill-effects you can diagnose the cause. I'd have thought that removing it will break removing packages from the menu, although I don't think XFCE supported that in the first place?

A few other things use packagekit - deja dup springs to mind, but if you ever install it, packagekit should be brought back in back in.

Good call on leaving the two other packagekit libraries alone - removing those would be pretty destructive.

[johnywhy]

timeshift... up to date and keep a note of what you are removing

timeshift has saved my Mint a couple times.
Not taking any notes. Timeshift works

removing it will break removing packages from the menu

xfce handles all the menu updates.

packagekit - deja dup

Thx for that tip! I'm trying to conserve RAM, by removing unnecessary always-on services. packagekit appears to be such a one.

Good call on leaving the two other packagekit libraries alone

[Flemur]

Thx for that tip! I'm trying to conserve RAM, by removing unnecessary always-on services. packagekit appears to be such a one.

You can disable them rather than removing the package:

Code: Select all

sudo systemctl disable name.service

[johnywhy]

You can disable them rather than removing the package:

Code: Select all

sudo systemctl disable name.service

thx, but also trying to slim down the OS footprint.
deja dup seems something i can adequately replicate with a cron job and ftp.