Re: How to get version information in common notation

[Harry Putnam <reader@newsguy.com>]

Raf Czlonka <rjc@linuxstuff.pl> writes:

> Answering your previous question, there's no way of automating the process
> of auto-discovery of graphic card, therefore if you'd like to run
> a desktop system and install 'task-desktop' (itself not a real package
> but a virtual one, a task which installs other packages) all available
> drivers are being installed.
> Solution: do not install task-desktop, only pick the packages which you
> need, remove xserver-xorg-video-all and only leave the one(s) which
> match your hardware.
> If you have a fairly new machine with a large HDD, the above won't be an
> issue as, apart from some services run at startup or during your X
> session, the it'll only take some of your HDD space.
> But if you're really bothered or free space is scarce...

Does it require a complete start over?

Here is the kind of confusing mess I run into:

sudo aptitude remove xserver-xorg-video-all
  The following packages will be REMOVED:  
    xserver-xorg-video-all 
  0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 22 not upgraded.
  Need to get 0 B of archives. After unpacking 61.4 kB will be freed.
  The following packages have unmet dependencies:
    task-desktop: Depends: xserver-xorg-video-all but it is not going to be installed.
  The following actions will resolve these dependencies:

       Remove the following packages:
  1)     task-desktop                
  2)     task-gnome-desktop          

 Accept this solution? [Y/n/q/?]

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Looks pretty straight forward, but look what happens when I accept:

Accept this solution? [Y/n/q/?] y
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  ant{u} ant-optional{u} browser-plugin-gnash{u} dasher{u} dasher-data{u} 
  file-roller{u} gnash{u} gnash-common{u} gnome-accessibility{u} 
  gnome-accessibility-themes{u} gnome-core{u} gnome-disk-utility{u} 
  gnome-themes-standard{u} gstreamer0.10-fluendo-mp3{u} hp-ppd{u} 
  hyphen-en-us{u} kerneloops{u} libboost-date-time1.46.1{u} 
  libboost-thread1.46.1{u} libcommons-beanutils-java{u} 
  libcommons-collections3-java{u} libcommons-compress-java{u} 
  libcommons-digester-java{u} libcommons-logging-java{u} libdb-java{u} 
  libdb-je-java{u} libdb5.1-java{u} libdb5.1-java-gcj{u} libelf1{u} 
  libgdu-gtk0{u} libicu4j-java{u} libjtidy-java{u} liblucene2-java{u} 
  liboil0.3{u} libregexp-java{u} libreoffice{u} libreoffice-calc{u} 
  libreoffice-draw{u} libreoffice-emailmerge{u} libreoffice-filter-binfilter{u} 
  libreoffice-filter-mobiledev{u} libreoffice-help-en-us{u} 
  libreoffice-impress{u} libreoffice-math{u} libreoffice-report-builder-bin{u} 
  libreoffice-writer{u} librpm2{u} librpmio2{u} mousetweaks{u} mythes-en-us{u} 
  python-uno{u} rpm-common{u} rpm2cpio{u} task-desktop{a} task-gnome-desktop{a} 
  ttf-sil-gentium{u} ttf-sil-gentium-basic{u} xorg{u} xserver-xorg-video-all 
0 packages upgraded, 0 newly installed, 59 to remove and 22 not upgraded.
Need to get 0 B of archives. After unpacking 241 MB will be freed.
Do you want to continue? [Y/n/?]

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Doesn't this seem just a tab bit heavy handed.