I would love to know, since I am on a way to begin learning to tinker with Ubuntu/Zorin, how I am able to remove COMPLETELY any app on Zorin without breaking it, because there are quite some apps which I do not need and uninstalling them via the AppStore does not remove leftover files and I would really like if I can uninstall any package as if it were never on the system to begin with.
I have been giving a scrip from a good friend of mine who is quite profound in linux and he wrote a shell script for me which nukes an app COMPLETELY from your system but it warns you also that some Packages have internal dependencies with Gnome and such and can break stuff but is there a way to get what I want without breaking Zorin?
Simply running sudo apt remove --purge PACKAGE_NAME followed with sudo apt clean && sudo apt autoremove should be all you need.
If you know that a package is something you want gone and it has saved files in your home directory, you can search for and remove those files or folders harmlessly.
Orphaned files may seem like an annoyance. But they generally take up kilobytes of space, barring a few exceptions. If you decluttered, in the manner you suggest, you still would only remove about 2% of what is on your system that you do not use; the vast majority of which is wrapped into the system kernel.
So the only practical advice here is: If you come across some clutter, just pick it up and toss it in the trash. But don't drive yourself crazy trying to clean all the dust.
hey first of all ty for the quick response, however I want to be honest to you as why I am concerned for leftover files, simply, because i come obviously from windows 11 and I do not trust certain packages in the sense as when they are being seemingly uninstalled that they do not have some key-leftovers which somehow still allow certain core services of them to run silently in the background, like for instance some people speculate that Brave is also not as secure and nice to the user as it claims to be and hence I am worried that even when uninstalled, via terminal or appstore that it has (as i mentioned above) some important key leftovers which still run silently in the background and what not.
like for instance, when you use "sudo apt install plocate" and then "locate -i brave" it finds a sh*t ton of leftovers in all sorts of directories.
We also like the easiest path. And the trouble is, neither will get us what we want.
If you like having the power of choice, you must accept the responsibility that comes with it.
As you allow time to pass, while you are also open to learning, you will begin to experience the difference between wondering and knowing.
And the trick is not to trust - but to know.
You do not need to be an engineer or a developer - to learn how your system works and the layout of the file system. Anymore than you need to be an engineer to know where all the knobs and buttons are in your car, where to put oil in and how to add washer fluid.
If you want to eliminate the need for trust, then exploring and utilizing the file system is your best path toward understanding how software on GnuLinux works, how it is organized and even - why leftovers get left behind.
You mention a choice: A risky one in which you might damage your system and will take the easy route,
or one that involves effort, rewards you with usable knowledge and helps you to protect your system.
In the meantime, you can remove everything to do with Brave Browser, safely. I took a look using locate -i brave and the vast majority are icons that are included in icon sets, the documentation files, home saved configurations... I found nothing whatsoever that has any running processes.
yea my wording was very misleading, I wanted only take Brave as an example really not to say that IT IS in fact doing heinous stuff in the background, my apologies for that.