[Novalug] best way to back up a home partition.

[DonJr]

On Thu, 2007-09-20 at 14:50 -0400, Angelo Bertolli wrote:
> DonJr wrote:
> > Just wait until it UNINSTALLS the "auto" installed kernel-package you
> > are currently running, because it doesn't think that package is
> > "required" anymore.
> >  {-: It will happily do that and has recommended such incorrect actions
> > in the past. :-}
> >   
> 
> I wouldn't know, but I've heard that if you use aptitude from the 
> beginning to manage all the packages things like that don't happen.
> 
> Angelo

Sounds like that might work in theory, but not even the Ubuntu-installer
uses aptitude to do the base install.

In all versions of Ubuntu to date that I've installed there are a few
packages that have caused me problems because of there OVER-stated
requirements and when you uninstall them {or Ubuntu decides one need
updating} and later on update the kernel-package Aptitude get into the
cycle of wanting to uninstall any kernel package that isn't currently
required by something, because if aptitude didn't install something it
defaults to assuming that the package was an AUTO-install [*1].
 The packages are 'ubuntu-minimal' and 'ubuntu-standard' these packages
descriptions even say:

| It is safe to remove this package if some of the minimal system
| packages are not desired. 

My Desktop and Servers don't need 'Wireless', 'pppoe', or 'pppconf'
support, they are connect by Network-cards and cables to a central
hub/router. There are also a number of other packages that these
packages require that are not nessesarily part of a minimal functioning
system IMHO.

[*1] Funny thing neither apt-get or synaptic have this problem.
I can switch back and forth between them and dpkg without any problems.

-- 
 DonJr