Comments on: pkcon list-install foo.package-list http://blogs.gnome.org/hughsie/2008/11/15/pkcon-list-install-foopackage-list/ Blog about geeky stuff Sun, 29 Jan 2012 09:38:55 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: John http://blogs.gnome.org/hughsie/2008/11/15/pkcon-list-install-foopackage-list/comment-page-1/#comment-840 John Thu, 04 Dec 2008 16:52:57 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/hughsie/?p=273#comment-840 I use Mandriva, and just did something very similar (nuked my old install, reinstalling certain packages until I have what I need again). I manually made an alpha-sorted list of my packages without version numbers before the wipe, and have been comparing that to my new install, refreshing the new list as I install new packages. A couple of thoughts: 1) Something that I encountered on my last upgrade was new: I switched from i586 to x86_64. This meant that (at least with Mandriva's naming convention), I now have a bunch of packages with "lib64" in the middle of their names, which makes it hard to do a 1-to-1 comparison. Likewise, I imagine, if I ever went back to i586. 2) What about dependencies which change? My last update jumped several versions of the distro, and so I had a lot of packages that didn't need to be reinstalled, as well as some new ones that needed to be installed but weren't by choice. Both these cases generate a lot of "background noise" in which my actual choices are lost. I still haven't gotten everything reinstalled because the "noise" made me decide to only install what I need as I need it. So after the initial (very big) push, there are a bunch of other packages which I haven't done anything about because I don't always remember what I had had originally installed by choice or by dependency, and don't want to take the time to comb through the list. I use Mandriva, and just did something very similar (nuked my old install, reinstalling certain packages until I have what I need again). I manually made an alpha-sorted list of my packages without version numbers before the wipe, and have been comparing that to my new install, refreshing the new list as I install new packages.

A couple of thoughts:

1) Something that I encountered on my last upgrade was new: I switched from i586 to x86_64. This meant that (at least with Mandriva’s naming convention), I now have a bunch of packages with “lib64″ in the middle of their names, which makes it hard to do a 1-to-1 comparison. Likewise, I imagine, if I ever went back to i586.

2) What about dependencies which change? My last update jumped several versions of the distro, and so I had a lot of packages that didn’t need to be reinstalled, as well as some new ones that needed to be installed but weren’t by choice.

Both these cases generate a lot of “background noise” in which my actual choices are lost. I still haven’t gotten everything reinstalled because the “noise” made me decide to only install what I need as I need it. So after the initial (very big) push, there are a bunch of other packages which I haven’t done anything about because I don’t always remember what I had had originally installed by choice or by dependency, and don’t want to take the time to comb through the list.

]]> By: backup http://blogs.gnome.org/hughsie/2008/11/15/pkcon-list-install-foopackage-list/comment-page-1/#comment-803 backup Sat, 15 Nov 2008 17:49:19 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/hughsie/?p=273#comment-803 Neat indeed. It would be incredibly useful to have a way to select only manually installed packages like Mats suggested. Hope you get that itch too. :) Neat indeed. It would be incredibly useful to have a way to select only manually installed packages like Mats suggested. Hope you get that itch too. :)

]]> By: Mats Taraldsvik http://blogs.gnome.org/hughsie/2008/11/15/pkcon-list-install-foopackage-list/comment-page-1/#comment-800 Mats Taraldsvik Sat, 15 Nov 2008 13:24:03 +0000 http://blogs.gnome.org/hughsie/?p=273#comment-800 Neat! A list of manually installed packages would be even better, as that's normally what you want, right? If you make a package list after a fresh install, and then for every update. The diff between updates and the package list + the diff between 'all packages' and ('fresh install'+'updates') would equal manually installed updates. Neat! A list of manually installed packages would be even better, as that’s normally what you want, right?

If you make a package list after a fresh install, and then for every update. The diff between updates and the package list + the diff between ‘all packages’ and (‘fresh install’+'updates’) would equal manually installed updates.

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