Synaptic orphan filter

[czubek]

forgive me if this has already been posted.
install deborphan
install synaptic
go to settings-filters-new
call it orphans
deselect all
select orphaned
whatever appears is an orphan and can be removed.

EDIT: Please note, Aravisian, made an important recommendation to check/verify the file to be removed before doing so. Please see posts below.

[FrenchPress]

@czubek

install deborphan

Thanks for this tip!
I was surprised to find 3 orphans on my system which is less than one month old with this filter method.

[czubek]

I found the above tip in a a website suggesting 10 or so things to do after installing UBUNTU. They were simple improvements that helped save hard drive space. I have a 32GB emmc for hard drive and am interested in saving as much room as possible. The suggestions were posted for UBUNTU several versions ago. I tried to find the old website but there seems to be so many nowadays that I feel I will be looking a long time.

Edit: This is the only one I remember.

[Aravisian]

A mild word of caution: Discriminate what you select for removal with this method. The way deborphan works, it checks only libs and libs-old to check if any currently installed packages depend on those libraries. Running this on mine, it included several Default Pacakges included with Zorin that while I currently have nothing that depends on them, I will should I try to install certain common hardware or software. For example libraries for SANE which any user will need when they try to install a Printer / Scanner as evidenced in this thread here (where the user really had no clues given to troubleshoot at first):

Scanner not detected?

[image] why , zorin default scanner is not detecting scanner but epson application detected. i have printer "not scanner" but this printer is both printer and scanner. is there any option to scan file with Document scanner? or have to use "epson scanner application"?

It also listed libraries for WNCK and qt5-style-plugins; which I would have to reinstall if I install certain gtk2 or QT apps later on down the road. It listed Libu2f-udev which I would need for certain hardware, though I do not have that hardware now.

This is a Great Tip, czubek. But just a general point; check each item for what it is needed for instead of just removing without question. (And avoid gtkorphan GUI Tool!)

[czubek]

Thank you Aravisian. I will use your advice. Hopefully anyone who reads the first part of the post will follow thru to your recommendations.

[FrenchPress]

@Aravisian

But just a general point; check each item for what it is needed for instead of just removing without question.

Oops, you are right.
I clicked on "remove" without checking the nature of those files - I did not read

Again I forgot the golden rule of "Read before you click".

Just rolled back to the last week Clonezilla image and all is OK now

[FrenchPress]

@czubek

Hopefully anyone who reads the first part of the post will follow thru to your recommendations.

Or that you could edit your original tutorial (which itself is good) and add this word of caution for those failed to scroll down

[czubek]

Please note, Aravisian, made an important recommendation to check/verify the file to be removed before doing so.

[FrenchPress]

@czubek

Please note, Aravisian, made an important recommendation to check/verify the file to be removed before doing so.

You can add this line to your original posting.
Just click on the pencil mark in your original post.
I think it is more clear that way.

[czubek]

sadly I cannot find the pencil/edit option. The post might be too old. From now on I will preceed all suggestions with a suitable disclaimer.

[Aravisian]

czubek, I believe you are right that the post had past the edit time allowance; but I took the unusual liberty of accessing the editor and adding the snippet for you.