[Solved with TMI] For new LM19 install, what PAST packages have I installed?

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mikecolley
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[Solved with TMI] For new LM19 install, what PAST packages have I installed?

Post by mikecolley »

Problem:
When I install a new system, I usually forget to install all of my favorite packages.

Question:
Is there a command I can run to see what I have installed through Synaptic / apt / apt-get / wine / dpkg / whatever?

Details:
I am planning to new-install LM19 Cinnamon. Over the years from LM12 through LM17 I don't remember all the packages I installed and I will want some of them on my new LM19 install. I know some of the packages I have installed, but I forget some of the less often used packages. Sooner or later, probably several times, I will be searching to answer the question of what was the name of that package I installed way back when. As we all know, some of the Linux names are archaic or unintentionally obfuscated. Sometimes I just don't remember. I just want the names of what I have installed, not upgrades, not by the system, just what I have installed.

This post is really two questions:

Q1 - In the FUTURE, how can I tell what I (me - myself) installed in this new LM19?

Q2 - For the PAST, how can I find out what packages I installed on LM12-LM17 so my memory can be jogged so I can remember to put them on the new LM19?

As always, BIG THANK YOU to Clem.

Thanks! - Mike
Last edited by LockBot on Wed Dec 28, 2022 7:16 am, edited 2 times in total.
Reason: Topic automatically closed 6 months after creation. New replies are no longer allowed.
kukamuumuka

Re: For new LM19 install, what PAST packages have I installed?

Post by kukamuumuka »

Code: Select all

xdg-open /var/log/apt/history.log

Code: Select all

xdg-open /var/log/dpkg.log
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murray
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Re: For new LM19 install, what PAST packages have I installed?

Post by murray »

I had a similar question and received a great reply from @gm10 explaining how to create a list of what I'd installed and turn that into a script that could automatically reinstall all the software again. See viewtopic.php?f=47&t=282926
Running Mint 19.3 Cinnamon on an Intel NUC8i5BEH with 16GB RAM and 500GB SSD
gm10

Re: For new LM19 install, what PAST packages have I installed?

Post by gm10 »

murray wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 4:17 pm I had a similar question and received a great reply from @gm10 explaining how to create a list of what I'd installed and turn that into a script that could automatically reinstall all the software again. See viewtopic.php?f=47&t=282926
Note that the restore script has good chances of failing if you use it on a different release than you created it on for the simple reason that some of the packages it will try to reinstall won't exist anymore. In that case you'll need to note down the package names it complains about and manually remove them from the restore script to be able to run it.

The same goes for any additional repositories and PPAs you had configured on the old system, you'll need to configure them again (using the version for your current release) before being able to successfully run the restore script.

I'll add that bit of info to the other post to make it more "linkable". ;)
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JerryF
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Re: For new LM19 install, what PAST packages have I installed?

Post by JerryF »

mikecolley wrote: Thu Dec 06, 2018 8:22 am Question:
Is there a command I can run to see what I have installed through Synaptic / apt / apt-get / wine / dpkg / whatever?
...
If I understand your question, it isn't the same as installing apps through Google Play or MS's Store and it remembers what you've downloaded in the past.
mikecolley
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Re: For new LM19 install, what PAST packages have I installed?

Post by mikecolley »

Hi JerryF

To answer your question, a manual process works for me.

Every few years I upgrade or change linux distributions. I don't need something automatic for a task I just do every few years. I just need a reminder what I manually installed so I can have all my conveniences in the new upgrade. For example from LM12 through LM17 whenever possible I would do an automatic upgrade so I wouldn't have to re-load everything again, but in this case I have had a problem upgrading LM17 (because I use a live system with >100Gig of casper-rw persistence). It is about time for me to get my Dell XPS working on linux and so I am wishing to install all the stuff I did in the past into the LM19(.1?) system. No need to have an automatic script, manual works for me and then I have more control.

You asked about Google Play or MS's Store, and I don't know anything about installing anything from them in linux. I'm interested in what I installed with Synaptic / apt / apt-get / wine / dpkg / whatever.

Thanks! - Mike
mikecolley
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Re: For new LM19 install, what PAST packages have I installed?

Post by mikecolley »

Hi administrollaattori:

Thank You!! What a wealth of information there. That much information is TMI :-) , I'm overwhelmed. (TMI = Too Much Information)

Looking at the results is like looking at google search results, TMI. I'm not sure what to ask for after getting what I asked for and it was too much for me to handle. Now I'm afraid to ask for anything else[chuckle]. I think I need to mark this [Solved with TMI]

#1 - Is there a way to grep the file history.log.12.gz for the string "Install\: " (with Install being the first character in the line?). This command would involve unpacking the .gz file then doing a grep on the resulting unpacked file. I'm looking for something like a xdg-grep command. edit: zgrep does this.

#2 - Is there a way to grep and throw out any line longer than 100 characters? ex: xdg-grep Commandline\: history.log.12 | {must be < 100 chars}

Code: Select all

Start-Date: 2014-05-29  23:06:08
Commandline: apt-get --force-yes --yes upgrade
Upgrade: lsb-base:amd64 (4.1+Debian11ubuntu6, 4.1+Debian11ubuntu6mint1), lsb-release:amd64 (4.1+Debian11ubuntu6, 4.1+Debian11ubuntu6mint1)
End-Date: 2014-05-29  23:06:09
From my live system (personal production old 8730w) I have been using for years:

Code: Select all

[mint@192.168.1.5][apt] $ pwd
/var/log/apt
[mint@192.168.1.5][apt] $ ll
total 256
drwxr-xr-x 1 root root     4096 Nov 30 10:17 .
drwxrwxr-x 1 root syslog   4096 Dec  8 00:17 ..
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root        0 Nov 30 10:17 history.log
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root      164 Nov 30 02:30 history.log.1.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root      121 Dec 22  2016 history.log.10.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root      396 Oct 24  2016 history.log.11.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root    52057 Sep  3  2016 history.log.12.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root      145 Jun  8 20:10 history.log.2.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root      135 Jun  7  2018 history.log.3.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root      523 Feb  5  2018 history.log.4.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root      119 Dec 23  2017 history.log.5.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root      497 Mar  5  2017 history.log.6.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root      361 Feb 18  2017 history.log.7.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root     1202 Jan 29  2017 history.log.8.gz
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root      162 Jan  8  2017 history.log.9.gz
-rw-r----- 1 root adm         0 Nov 30 10:17 term.log
-rw-r----- 1 root adm       391 Nov 30 02:30 term.log.1.gz
-rw-r----- 1 root adm       308 Dec 22  2016 term.log.10.gz
-rw-r----- 1 root adm      1004 Oct 24  2016 term.log.11.gz
-rw-r----- 1 root adm    101053 Sep  3  2016 term.log.12.gz
-rw-r----- 1 root adm       351 Jun  8 20:10 term.log.2.gz
-rw-r----- 1 root adm       320 Jun  7  2018 term.log.3.gz
-rw-r----- 1 root adm       967 Feb  5  2018 term.log.4.gz
-rw-r----- 1 root adm       307 Dec 23  2017 term.log.5.gz
-rw-r----- 1 root adm       851 Mar  5  2017 term.log.6.gz
-rw-r----- 1 root adm       924 Feb 18  2017 term.log.7.gz
-rw-r----- 1 root adm      2128 Jan 29  2017 term.log.8.gz
-rw-r----- 1 root adm       446 Jan  8  2017 term.log.9.gz
[mint@192.168.1.5][apt] $ 
Thank You - Mike
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Gruppo Sportivo
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Re: [Solved with TMI] For new LM19 install, what PAST packages have I installed?

Post by Gruppo Sportivo »

mikecolley wrote:Question:
Is there a command I can run to see what I have installed
Packages that are 'manually' installed by the user can be viewed by using the 'showmanual' option:

Code: Select all

apt-mark showmanual
If you want to save the displayed list in a text file (manuallypackages is just a name given by me)

Code: Select all

apt-mark showmanual > manuallypackages.txt
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JerryF
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Re: For new LM19 install, what PAST packages have I installed?

Post by JerryF »

mikecolley wrote: Sat Dec 08, 2018 1:40 am Hi JerryF

To answer your question, a manual process works for me.

Every few years I upgrade or change linux distributions. I don't need something automatic for a task I just do every few years. I just need a reminder what I manually installed so I can have all my conveniences in the new upgrade. For example from LM12 through LM17 whenever possible I would do an automatic upgrade so I wouldn't have to re-load everything again, but in this case I have had a problem upgrading LM17 (because I use a live system with >100Gig of casper-rw persistence). It is about time for me to get my Dell XPS working on linux and so I am wishing to install all the stuff I did in the past into the LM19(.1?) system. No need to have an automatic script, manual works for me and then I have more control.

You asked about Google Play or MS's Store, and I don't know anything about installing anything from them in linux. I'm interested in what I installed with Synaptic / apt / apt-get / wine / dpkg / whatever.

Thanks! - Mike
My response wasn't a question, it was a statement. :D
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