[Yum] Dependencies on Removing Packages

[Daniel Bolgheroni]

On Fri, 2005-04-01 at 20:39 -0700, Michael Stenner wrote:
> On Fri, Apr 01, 2005 at 11:25:20PM -0300, Daniel Bolgheroni wrote:
> > I'm trying to remove some packages in a different way. By default, yum
> > removes all packages that depends on the one being removed.
> > 
> > The portable NetBSD package system (runs on GNU/Linux too) has useful
> > options regarding this, like -r and -R in pkg_delete. The parameter -r
> > is what yum does, by default.
> > 
> > I would like to remove the given package and any packages it depends on,
> > unless some other package still needs a dependent package.
> > 
> > Are there any way to do this with yum?
> 
> No.  This is an interesting concept.  There is an obvious case when
> this is undesirable.  Lets say foo depends on bar.  If the user never
> uses bar directly, and nothing else depends on bar, then it's great to
> remove it when you remove foo.  For example, it might be nice to have
> xmms-mp3 go away when I remove xmms.  However, what if the user DOES
> use bar directly.  This can't show up as a dep, of course.  For
> example, k3b depends on cdrecord.
>
> Don't get me wrong.  I'm not criticizing the option.  I'm just curious
> how often the scenario I describe is an issue.

No problem.

But what about removing packages this way if I know exactly what I am
doing? I think this option wouldn't be an issue.

I agree the way yum removes package is safer than the way I described
earlier, but if anything goes "wrong", all you get is that a package
that you use directly will be removed (of course, if it isn't a
dependency for other package). Nothing will be broken.