Removing desktop environment
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I am a translator!
I have a computer on which Trisquel MATE is installed, that I used both as a server and for desktop. I'd like to use it only as a server from now on. I could keep all installed software, but I find it annoying to have updates for things I don't need, like abrowser, so I'd like to remove the packages only useful for a desktop environment.
When I run tasksel, it tells me that trisquel-desktop-environment is not installed, although the computer has a full MATE environment. Is there any metapackage(s) that I could remove in order to remove the desktop? Or is there another way? I'd like not to reinstall because I have many things running on that computer, so it would take me a lot of time.
Maybe deborphan could help you find packages that have no packages depending on them.
Though I do not know what terminal programs (if any) may depend on the Mate desktop.
I mostly use the synaptic package manager to see dependencies and dependents but there are likely command lines ones as well.
It is important to know what method you used to install the system, netinstall will be easier to clean as the system "assembles itself on the fly", livecd relies on a "precooked" setup.
If you used the netinstall then can get more info from the tasksel package itself to know what packages depend on the task.
tasksel --task-packages trisquel-desktop
so you can remove that you think is not necessary.
Be careful, and I would suggest you keep aptitude around, as it may resolve complex scenarios better than apt would, just in case they present.
Regards
I am a translator!
If I remember correctly, I never reinstalled that computer after the initial install done from the iso that was in https://cdbuilds.trisquel.org/ at the time https://trisquel.info/fr/forum/testing-iso-trisquel-11-0 was posted. From messages in that discussion thread, it was clearly not a netinstall.
I don't have the computer accessible right now, but I remember that trisquel-desktop was not listed when I ran dpkg -l "trisquel*. I'll add the output later.
apt list --installed | grep mate
apt list --installed | grep x11
apt list --installed | grep desktop
apt list --installed | grep abrowser
apt list --installed | grep whateverpackage
Whichever package you want to get rid of you can search it that way, create a package list and then you remove it.