Remove packages by pattern on debian and based systems

sudo apt-get remove --purge `dpkg -l | awk '{print $2}' | grep gnome` && apt-get autoremove

Useful for removes a package and its depends, for example to remove the gnome desktop environment, also configuration files will be removed, you should be carefully and sure that you want to do this.

Sample Output

kelevra@lab:~$ sudo apt-get remove --purge `dpkg -l | awk '{print $2}' | grep gnome` && apt-get autoremove
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
  python-renderpm libgtop2-common xsane libmagick++10 libplot2c2 libcamel1.2-14 python-qt4-common python-reportlab-accel
  libcairomm-1.0-1 libglibmm-2.4-1c2a pstoedit python-qt4 libpangomm-1.4-1 python-qt4-dbus python-sip4 libedataserver1.2-11
  libgtkmm-2.4-1c2a libwmf-bin xsane-common libgtop2-7 imagemagick python-elementtree perlmagick python-reportlab
  libpstoedit0c2a
Use 'apt-get autoremove' to remove them.
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  cheese* gksu* gnome-keyring* gnome-mime-data* gnome-mount* hplip-gui* inkscape* libbonoboui2-0* libebook1.2-9*
  libeel2-2.20* libgksu2-0* libgnome-keyring0* libgnome-menu2* libgnome2-0* libgnome2-common* libgnomecanvas2-0*
  libgnomecanvas2-common* libgnomeui-0* libgnomeui-common* libgnomevfs2-0* libgnomevfs2-common* libgnomevfs2-extra*
  libgtkhtml3.14-19* libgtkhtml3.16-cil* libpam-gnome-keyring* monodoc-browser*
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 26 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
After this operation, 100MB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?

-4

By: kelevra

2009-04-28 10:34:42

awk grep sudo awk apt-get dpkg

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What Others Think

a command every debian user running gnome should use :)

GinoMan2440 · 802 weeks and 2 days ago

and ubuntu!

GinoMan2440 · 802 weeks and 2 days ago

except you also want to add... apt-get install kde

GinoMan2440 · 802 weeks and 2 days ago

hehe, I prefer lite window managers, but I think that is very useful when you are just testing other apps ;)

kelevra · 802 weeks and 2 days ago

I grow weary of the kde evangelism going on in the last couple days. PS- you can use apt-get autoremove --purge all in one go. No need for the second apt-get autoremove command ;)

linuxrawkstar · 802 weeks and 1 day ago

There are virtual packages that just contain dependencies for just what you're trying to do manually. I prefer doing this inside aptitude, where I can interactively see what's about to be removed, etc. This is especially useful when there are broken packages, or the dependencies have changed as is sometimes the case on a debian testing system.

bwoodacre · 802 weeks and 1 day ago

apt-get remove --purge gnome~n http://askubuntu.com/questions/62595/how-to-use-wildcards-with-aptitude

unixmonkey8034 · 604 weeks and 6 days ago

seofox · 146 weeks and 5 days ago

seofox · 136 weeks ago

seofox · 135 weeks and 1 day ago

rahimhh21 · 105 weeks and 2 days ago

Perfecthomepugs · 97 weeks and 1 day ago

???? ????????? ?? ????? ???? ????????? ?? ????? ???? ????????? ?? ????? ???? ????????? ?? ?????

apadanaa44 · 68 weeks and 4 days ago

pugpuppies95 · 59 weeks and 1 day ago

What do you think?

Any thoughts on this command? Does it work on your machine? Can you do the same thing with only 14 characters?

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