Bug#563712: Cannot remove Gnome-games, Cheese, Empathy, Ekiga, Epiphany, Remmina, Rhythmbox without removing Gnome

[Josselin Mouette]

Le jeudi 17 mars 2011 à 00:39 +0100, Milan Niznansky a écrit : 
> gnome-full is very developer-logical but IMO not really intuitive for a
> user
> 
> I would suggest "debian-desktop" or "gnome-desktop",its name shall speak
> for itself for Debian hacks and beginners alike.

But it would be confusing with gnome-desktop-environment, and with the
gnome-desktop source package.

> However, Even if the "gnome" package gets a better name, the issue of
> its problematic removal will still stand.
> 
> Probably not only me would feel it more intuitive if its direct
> dependencies are installed(or marked) non-automatically in default
> install. So that when user tries to remove some of them they do not run
> into the issue I and the OP have.
> 
> IMO it is a much rarer situation someone wants to remove gnome per se
> than getting rid of just a few packages here and there.
> And for removing gnome he needs a guide regardless while the packages
> could be installed in a way their removal is effortless.

This is the most frequent request about the metapackages. It would be
possible to mark a larger part of their dependencies as Recommends, but
unfortunately, the way APT currently works, they would not be installed
upon upgrades.

Since users who want to remove some pieces of software are also,
generally, users who can deal with the breakage or make their own
metapackages, it is a deliberate choice to make things more complicated
for them while making them easier for those who just want their systems
to work while following upgrades.

Even with APT fixed to install new Recommends, we would still make much
more fragile the stable→stable upgrades. Currently APT ensures that the
top metapackage remains installed and does everything needed to install
the new set of packages. It is part of what makes a Debian desktop so
easy to upgrade.

Cheers,
-- 
 .''`.      Josselin Mouette
: :' :
`. `'  “If you behave this way because you are blackmailed by someone,
  `-    […] I will see what I can do for you.”  -- Jörg Schilling

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