check-pkgs: Taming the package zoo

check-pkgs helps you manage APT, so you only the packages you actually want are installed.

It does this by requiring that each package is either

• A dependency of another (wanted) package.
• Or explicitly marked as wanted by the user.

Usage

RTFM:

$ check-pkgs --help
usage: check-pkgs [--list orphaned|dowant|ignore|remind|delete]

Pro tip:
  $ echo 'DPkg::Post-Invoke {"PATH/TO/THIS/SCRIPT";};' > /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/99check-pkgs

To check for orphaned packages simply run check-pkgs with no arguments.

Run automatically

To automatically run check-pkgs each time you install or remove something with APT, put this line in /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/99check-pkgs:

DPkg::Post-Invoke {"PATH/TO/THIS/SCRIPT";};

Lists

Four lists are saved in ~/.pkgs:

• dowant.pkgs: Packages that must be installed.

• ignore.pkgs: Packages that can be installed but doesn't need to be (useful if you e.g. use Gimp sometimes but don't want to have it installed always).

• delete.pkgs: Packages that must not be installed.

• remind.pkgs: Packages that the user has not decided whether should be installed or not. Packages on this list are automatically deleted after five days.

Installing

Place check-pkgs in your PATH.

Contributers

This script was developed by myself and Idolf.