Finding and Removing Orpans w/ Yaourt in Arch Linux

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Does your yaourt ever give you those annoying bright red notices of orphaned apps after you've done your -Syua? Well, here's how to fix that:

 

$ yaourt -Qtd
Password: **********

 

The Q = query, just as with pacman. The -t and -d options are orphans and their dependencies. Yaourt will ask if you want to remove all. Say "Y", give password, and off you go. All nice and clean again.

 

 

Later...

[securitybreach]

Thanks for posting the tip Eric

[V.T. Eric Layton]

I just learned it myself this evening. Figured someone else might find it useful.

[securitybreach]

I have used it before but mind you some applications that are maked as orphan are not always orphaned. Orphans are supposed to be packages no longer required as a dependency but sometimes the apps are standalone.

 

For instance when I tried the command earlier, it tried to remove git and cacti even though git is in the Extra repo and is a standalone app. So just pay attention to what it removes.

 

 

[V.T. Eric Layton]

Yup. I noticed that, particularly when using pacman's version of that command. It shows many standalone apps, Seamonkey, etc. Can't be removing that stuff.

[abarbarian]

Does it only get rid of the dependencies that are used by the orphans and not needed by any other programs ?

[securitybreach]

Does it only get rid of the dependencies that are used by the orphans and not needed by any other programs ?

It is supposed to remove orphan packages which are packages that used to be dependencies of a previous package you uninstalled (basically cleaning up leftover dependencies). This is not always the case as I mentioned above.

[abarbarian]

Thanks securitybreach. I was too researched out to look it up in the wiki.

[sunrat]

Debian has deborphan. I would never trust it to automatically remove packages. Just use it to get a list of possible removal candidates.

Actually, I never use it at all. The amount of space gained would be insignificant and the amount of work to research whether each program should actually be removed would not be worth it.

[abarbarian]

Don't even ask why I'm yaourting as root

 

oh ok I fess up it has been so long since I ran arch that I have temporarily forgotten me user password. I could probably remember it but it would take me a while and I'm going to do a fresh install this weekend so I'll just find another when I do

 

[root@myhost ~]# yaourt -Qtd
community/asciidoc 8.6.6-2
community/busybox 1.19.2-2
local/cloog-ppl 0.15.10-2
community/clucene 2.3.3.4-1
community/cython 0.15.1-1
extra/elfutils 0.152-1
local/esound 0.2.41-2
local/gen-init-cpio 2.6.36-1
extra/git 1.7.7-1
extra/gnome-disk-utility 3.0.2-2 (gnome-extra)
extra/gnome-icon-theme 3.2.0-1 (gnome)
extra/gnome-menus 3.2.0.1-1
extra/gobject-introspection 1.30.0-1
extra/intltool 0.41.1-2
extra/ladspa 1.13-3
extra/pyrex 0.9.9-2
extra/python2-distribute 0.6.21-1
extra/raptor1 1.4.21-3
extra/rpmextract 1.0-4
extra/rrdtool 1.4.5-4
extra/sbcl 1.0.51-1
extra/subversion 1.6.17-6
local/thunar-vfs 1.2.0-2
community/vbetool 1.1-2
extra/wavpack 4.60.1-1
extra/xorg-xkb-utils 7.6-1
extra/xulrunner 7.0-1
==> Do you want to remove these packages (with -Rcs options) ?  [y/N]

 

checking dependencies...

Remove (45): xulrunner-7.0-1  xorg-xkb-utils-7.6-1  wavpack-4.60.1-1
             vbetool-1.1-2  thunar-vfs-1.2.0-2  subversion-1.6.17-6
             sbcl-1.0.51-1  rrdtool-1.4.5-4  rpmextract-1.0-4  raptor1-1.4.21-3
             python2-distribute-0.6.21-1  pyrex-0.9.9-2  ladspa-1.13-3
             intltool-0.41.1-2  gobject-introspection-1.30.0-1
             gnome-menus-3.2.0.1-1  gnome-icon-theme-3.2.0-1
             gnome-disk-utility-3.0.2-2  git-1.7.7-1  gen-init-cpio-2.6.36-1
             esound-0.2.41-2  elfutils-0.152-1  cython-0.15.1-1
             clucene-2.3.3.4-1  cloog-ppl-0.15.10-2  busybox-1.19.2-2
             asciidoc-8.6.6-2  xorg-xkbevd-1.1.2-2  xorg-xkbutils-1.0.3-2
             libx86-1.1-3  fam-2.7.0-16  hal-0.5.14-6  apr-util-1.3.12-2
             gnome-icon-theme-symbolic-3.2.0-1  icon-naming-utils-0.8.90-2
             libunique3-3.0.2-1  perl-error-0.17016-2  audiofile-0.2.7-1
             rpcbind-0.2.0-3  consolekit-0.4.5-1  dmidecode-2.11-1
             hal-info-0.20091130-1  apr-1.4.5-1  perl-xml-simple-2.18-3
             perl-xml-parser-2.41-1

Total Removed Size:   253.69 MB

Do you want to remove these packages? [Y/n]

 

By gum that was a lot of crud

 

Hope I can still boot

[securitybreach]

Don't even ask why I'm yaourting as root

 

oh ok I fess up it has been so long since I ran arch that I have temporarily forgotten me user password. I could probably remember it but it would take me a while and I'm going to do a fresh install this weekend so I'll just find another when I do

 

By gum that was a lot of crud

 

Hope I can still boot

What have you been running, I thought you were a die-hard Archer?? As far as your packages, I would not remove a lot of those as you will have some issues:

 

wavpack-4.60.1-1 (Required by gstreamer-good which provide some of your codecs)

subversion-1.6.17-6 (Required by Dolphin FM and others)

rrdtool-1.4.5-4 (required by ntop)

ladspa-1.13-3 (required by alsa)

intltool-0.41.1-2 (required by lxappearance and menu-cache/openbox)

gnome-menus-3.2.0.1-1 (Will break gnome required by gnome-control-center gnome-panel gnome-shell)

gnome-icon-theme-3.2.0-1 (Required by Nautilus)

git-1.7.7-1 (worth keeping)

esound-0.2.41-2 (sound daemon for Enlightenment WM)

consolekit-0.4.5-1 Will break Gnome, KDE, and Xfce4 (Required by gnome-session, kde-session, and Xfce4-session)

 

And yes, I ran pacman -Qi for every package you showed above and listed the ones you should not of removed. I just wanted to show that blindly removing stuff will break things.

[Guest LilBambi]

So true, securitybreach! I think we all had to learn that lesson the hard way at times.

[securitybreach]

So true, securitybreach! I think we all had to learn that lesson the hard way at times.

Yeah right, I have broken many installations myself over the years and learned the hard way to not run unknown commands.

[abarbarian]

What have you been running, I thought you were a die-hard Archer?? As far as your packages, I would not remove a lot of those as you will have some issues:

 

3 weeks over the festive season without internet access as I was in York looking after me mum. A chainsaw as the woodshed was depleted and had not been filled due to being away.

 

Research and real time familiarisation and practical use of

 

AdrianeKnoppix

 

 

Quimo

Doudoulinux

 

An a great deal of time spent researching and installing on a usb and playing with

 

Musix

 

Also brief affairs with

 

Elive

Antix

 

An Windows 7 as it really is the best at the moment for the games I play.

 

Yer right of course about reading the man pages instead of just blindly copying and pasting. An doubly right about deleting stuff. thanks for taking the time to "-Qi"

I am as stated going to do a complete new install of Arch at the weekend as this nearly a year long initial test and learn install has served me well but needs to die. New year new clean install, no goofs no looking back.

 

 

[securitybreach]

Sounds good

 

No problem on checking the files for you. I just did not want you to mess up your installation.

[abarbarian]

Sounds good

 

No problem on checking the files for you. I just did not want you to mess up your installation.

 

That is muchly appreciated.

 

So even after evilly killing all them poor old orphans I can still boot and have a nearly usable Arch

 

Only seem to be missing "esound-0.2.41-2 (sound daemon for Enlightenment WM)" as no sound in smplayer or gogglesmm.

 

Not going to try installing "esound-0.2.41-2 (sound daemon for Enlightenment WM" as I don't want to phaph around with the last pacman updating signature thingy.

 

Clean install here I come >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

 

 

[V.T. Eric Layton]

abarbarian, since you have root access, you could always --> http://www.brunolinux.com/01-First_Things_...r_Password.html

[abarbarian]

abarbarian, since you have root access, you could always --> http://www.brunolinux.com/01-First_Things_...r_Password.html

 

ooooh that was handy.

Done and bookmarked and also tested by,

 

You can logout to the terminal by doing Ctrl+Alt+ F2

login as the new user and start another xserver

 

Then logging out and Ctrl+Alt+F7 to get me back here again.

 

 

 

 

[V.T. Eric Layton]

YAY! Bruno's Tips are still pretty handy stuff.

[securitybreach]

YAY! Bruno's Tips are still pretty handy stuff.