Bug#489503: apt: There is no easy way to avoid unwanted but "recommended" extra packages
Package: apt
Version: 0.7.11
Severity: normal
apt-get (and aptitude) needs an option for only installing hard
dependencies. That is, those dependencies that must be satisfied or
the package can't work. Something like --no-recommended.
I consider this a bug, not merely a wishlist item, because:
* Current apt install not only the needed extra packages, but
"recommended" but not really necessary packages as well.
This is easy to see as the unwanted packages can be removed
later without also removing the package I wanted.
* This is a problem when installing small embedded machines. The
current workaround is to delete all unwanted packages later,
but that is cumbersome when a single apt-get may pull in
a couple of unneeded packages that depends on 20-30 other
unwanted packages. And it is a waste of bandwidth and time too.
Example:
I installed a machine that is mostly a router, but it also runs gpsd
so I can see where it is.
Unfortunately, installing "gpsd" pull in "gpsd-clients", which has
dependencies on x11-common and a whole lot of other X-related packages.
But this machine does not run X! So I had to delete all those packages
manually later. And so on for some other software as well, and so on
when upgrading . . .
Now, I understand that most people will want gpsd-clients along with
gpsd, so having this as default behaviour is fine with me. But
having the ability to do
"apt-get install --no-recommended gpsd" and _only_ get gpsd and libgps17
would be ideal.
Another possible workaround that avoids bandwith wasting is to
download packages one by one and install using dpkg. That is very
cumbersome for packages that has many dependencies - exactly the reason
for having "apt" in the first place.
Helge Hafting
-- Package-specific info:
-- apt-config dump --
APT "";
APT::Architecture "amd64";
APT::Build-Essential "";
APT::Build-Essential:: "build-essential";
APT::Install-Recommends "1";
APT::Install-Suggests "0";
APT::Acquire "";
APT::Acquire::Translation "environment";
APT::Cache-Limit "141943904";
APT::NeverAutoRemove "";
APT::NeverAutoRemove:: "^linux-image.*";
APT::NeverAutoRemove:: "^linux-restricted-modules.*";
Dir "/";
Dir::State "var/lib/apt/";
Dir::State::lists "lists/";
Dir::State::cdroms "cdroms.list";
Dir::State::userstatus "status.user";
Dir::State::status "/var/lib/dpkg/status";
Dir::Cache "var/cache/apt/";
Dir::Cache::archives "archives/";
Dir::Cache::srcpkgcache "srcpkgcache.bin";
Dir::Cache::pkgcache "pkgcache.bin";
Dir::Etc "etc/apt/";
Dir::Etc::sourcelist "sources.list";
Dir::Etc::sourceparts "sources.list.d";
Dir::Etc::vendorlist "vendors.list";
Dir::Etc::vendorparts "vendors.list.d";
Dir::Etc::main "apt.conf";
Dir::Etc::parts "apt.conf.d";
Dir::Etc::preferences "preferences";
Dir::Bin "";
Dir::Bin::methods "/usr/lib/apt/methods";
Dir::Bin::dpkg "/usr/bin/dpkg";
Dir::Log "var/log/apt";
Dir::Log::Terminal "term.log";
DPkg "";
DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs "";
DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs:: "/usr/sbin/apt-listbugs apt || exit 10";
DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs:: "/usr/sbin/dpkg-preconfigure --apt || true";
DPkg::Tools "";
DPkg::Tools::Options "";
DPkg::Tools::Options::/usr/sbin/apt-listbugs "";
DPkg::Tools::Options::/usr/sbin/apt-listbugs::Version "2";
DPkg::Post-Invoke "";
DPkg::Post-Invoke:: "if [ -x /usr/bin/debsums ]; then /usr/bin/debsums --generate=nocheck -sp /var/cache/apt/archives; fi";
-- /etc/apt/preferences --
Package: *
Pin: release a=testing
Pin-Priority: 900
Package: *
Pin: release a=unstable
Pin-Priority: 800
Package: *
Pin: release a=experimental
Pin-Priority: 700
Package: *
Pin: release o=Debian
Pin-Priority: -10
-- /etc/apt/sources.list --
#sid=testing, sarge=unstable før.
#sarge=stable nå.
#firefox-problemet?
#Stable fins ikke for amd64 - ennå
deb http://ftp.no.debian.org/debian/ stable main contrib non-free
deb http://ftp.no.debian.org/debian testing main contrib non-free
deb http://ftp.no.debian.org/debian/ unstable main contrib non-free
deb http://ftp.no.debian.org/debian/ experimental main contrib non-free
#deb-src http://amd64.debian.net/debian/ testing main contrib non-free
#deb-src http://ftp.no.debian.org/debian/ testing main contrib non-free
#Initng
#deb http://debian.space-based.de/debs/ experimental main
#Site down???
##Blackdown java:
##deb ftp://ftp.tux.org/java/debian/ testing non-free
#Ubuntu-pakker for xorg
#deb http://archive.ubuntu.com/ubuntu/ hoary main restricted universe multiverse
#Dessverre bare for i386 :-(
#vlc, libdvdcss2
#deb http://download.videolan.org/pub/videolan/debian sid main
#deb http://nightlies.videolan.org/build/sid-amd64/arch sid main
#error
#deb http://nightlies.videolan.org/build/sid-amd64/arch ./
#Site down???
##Multimediating, som f.eks. vlc-greier
#deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org testing main
#deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org experimental main
#deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org stable main
#unstable er et spesialtilfelle:
#404
#deb http://spello.sscnet.ucla.edu/marillat/ sid main
#error
#deb http://www.debian-multimedia.org sid main
-- System Information:
Debian Release: lenny/sid
APT prefers testing
APT policy: (900, 'testing'), (800, 'unstable'), (700, 'experimental')
Architecture: amd64 (x86_64)
Kernel: Linux 2.6.25.4 (SMP w/4 CPU cores)
Locale: LANG=nb_NO.UTF-8, LC_CTYPE=nb_NO.UTF-8 (charmap=UTF-8)
Shell: /bin/sh linked to /bin/bash
Versions of packages apt depends on:
ii debian-archive-keyring 2008.04.16+nmu1 GnuPG archive keys of the Debian a
ii libc6 2.7-10 GNU C Library: Shared libraries
ii libgcc1 1:4.3.0-3 GCC support library
ii libstdc++6 4.3.0-3 The GNU Standard C++ Library v3
apt recommends no packages.
-- debconf-show failed
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