Uninstalling a package should be as easy and straightforward as installing it – either enter sudo apt-get remove --auto-remove at a command line or click Remove in the Ubuntu Software Center. Unfortunately, it is not:

The Problem

There are three types of packages: (1) simple, (2) with dependencies, (3) complicated.
Simple packages install only a single program file and that’s it. They are completely self contained and don’t depend on anything other than the core operating system being present. These types of packages are rare.

Packages with dependencies need other files in order to work. When installing one of these packages, Ubuntu Software Center or apt-get determine what additional files are needed and automatically installs them for you. When you uninstall the package, the dependency files are usually left behind. Sometimes they can be removed by using the command sudo apt-get autoremove, but that is an exception rather than the rule.

Complicated packages (also called metapackages), typically, do not install any files. Instead, they are a collection of dependent packages. These are the hardest to clean up, since you have to uninstall each dependent package (along with its dependencies) separately.

Not only are various packages left behind after an uninstall, but also configuration data used by the (now removed) package, directories (folders) and user data – all of these have to be manually removed.

Why Can’t Everything be Uninstalled?

My best guess is because it is a low priority:

• Users want applications to install easily and work. In the (fairly distant) past, installing applications in Linux was a pain – users would install an application and it wouldn’t work, then they would discover they needed to install some other package to get it working, and then there were package incompatibilities (still a problem in Linuxland) and so on. Nowadays, most Linux distributions do a very good job in packaging applications for easy installation.
• Hard disks are big. If you have a 500GB hard disk, will you really notice if 3MB or 50MB or even 1GB of data are cluttering it up? Probably not, the files cached by your Internet browser is likely occupy more space on your hard disk.
• It is not sexy. Who cares if a programmer wrote a really neat uninstaller? Probably no one. Programmers are more interested in “cool” apps. And since it is possible to manually uninstall all the unnecessary applications, there is no incentive to write a proper uninstaller.
• Uninstallation should be a “rare” activity. Although, I think users are very likely to try out applications and uninstall them if they don’t like them or find it is not what they wanted.
• It is hard. If a package is uninstalled shortly after installing it, this is probably no problem uninstalling it because nothing is likely to have changed on the system. But if a package is uninstalled 2 years after having been installed, then there are serious concerns: (1) other applications may have been installed that depend on some of the same files (this makes deciding which files to uninstall complicated), (2) it is likely that updates and upgrades have been applied over time (the files and dependencies may have changed. Consider a program that originally depended on a file called cutting-edge-library, but later the developers switched to using mature-and-stable-library instead – this poses problems to the uninstallation program.
• Finally, if the uninstaller breaks an application the user wants to keep, the user is going to be unhappy, so it is better to be very conservative when uninstalling and leave stuff you are not sure about behind.

All the information needed to uninstall an installed package is available (sometimes it takes a little poking around). The only information not available is which files and folders are created by an application – so cleaning up all the config data, application folders and user data is harder.
This is a long standing problem with Linux – many projects have been started (and abandoned) whose purpose was to clean up leftover files on the computer.

How to Completely Remove a Package

Quick Instructions

1) Open the aptitude log file (/var/log/apt/history.log).
2) Locate the files that were installed.
3) Remove the files using sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove <file names>

4) Locate and remove configuration files and data associated with the package. Most often, they will be found in /home/ and /home/.config/ directories.

Detailed Instructions

Finding Out Which Packages Were Installed

Opening the Installation History Log File

All installation and uninstallation operations that happen using either apt-get or Ubuntu Software Center (or any of the aptitude family of functions) are stored in /var/log/apt/history.log. Examining the contents of this file allows us to determine which packages were installed.
1) Click on the Files icon:

2) Click on Computer:

3) Double-click on the var folder:

4) Double-click on the log folder:

5) Double-click on the apt folder:

6) Double-click on the history.log file – this should open it with gedit, the default text editor in Ubuntu 13.04:

Finding the Installation Data

7) Search for the package you installed. If it was the last package you installed, then it will be at the end of the file. The records are stored with the newest operations towards the end (bottom) of the file and the oldest at the beginning (top) of the file.

Note: the history.log file is archived monthly. If you don’t find the required install information in history.log, then check the history.log.<number>.gz files:

Double clicking the .gz file will open it with Archive Manager. Inside Archive Manager you double click on the file to open it with gedit

In the sample below, you can see I installed lxde-core on 27-April-2013:

Start-Date: 2013-04-27  16:29:19
Commandline: apt-get install lxde-core
Install: libobrender27:i386 (3.5.0-7, automatic), lxsession:i386
(0.4.9.2~git20130310-0ubuntu1, automatic), openbox-themes:i386 (1.0.2,
automatic), libfm-data:i386 (1.1.0-0ubuntu2, automatic), libfm-gtk-bin:i386
(1.1.0-0ubuntu2, automatic), obconf:i386 (2.0.3+20110805+debian-1, automatic),
libjpeg-turbo-progs:i386 (1.2.1-0ubuntu2, automatic), xscreensaver:i386 (5.15-2ubuntu1,
automatic), lxde-common:i386 (0.5.0-4ubuntu4, automatic), lxsession-data:i386
(0.4.9.2~git20130310-0ubuntu1, automatic), pcmanfm:i386 (1.1.0-0ubuntu2, automatic),
lxde-core:i386 (0.5.0-4ubuntu4), libfm-gtk-data:i386 (1.1.0-0ubuntu2, automatic),
libgif4:i386 (4.1.6-10ubuntu1, automatic), libfm-gtk3:i386 (1.1.0-0ubuntu2, automatic),
openbox:i386 (3.5.0-7, automatic), libglade2-0:i386 (2.6.4-1ubuntu2, automatic),
lxmenu-data:i386 (0.1.2-2, automatic), libfm3:i386 (1.1.0-0ubuntu2, automatic),
lxshortcut:i386 (0.1.2-3, automatic), lxpanel:i386 (0.5.12-0ubuntu2, automatic),
libid3tag0:i386 (0.15.1b-10build3, automatic), libimlib2:i386 (1.4.5-1ubuntu1, automatic),
libjpeg-progs:i386 (8c-2ubuntu7, automatic), libmenu-cache2:i386 (0.4.1-0ubuntu1, automatic),
xscreensaver-data:i386 (5.15-2ubuntu1, automatic), libobt0:i386 (3.5.0-7, automatic)
End-Date: 2013-04-27  16:30:00

8) Cut and paste the Install data into an editor. You can start a new document in gedit by clicking on the Create a new document icon:

9) Edit the data to remove all unnecessary text.

:i386 \([0-9\~\.\+a-zA-Z\-, ]*\),?

:amd64 \([0-9\~\.\+a-zA-Z\-, ]*\),?

10) Add the following to the start of the edited package list: sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove . You should have something that looks like this:
sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove libobrender27 lxsession openbox-themes ...

11) Cut and paste this package list with the apt-get command from step 10 into a Terminal to completely uninstall the package.

It should look something like this (the exact list of files will depend on what you are uninstalling):

12) Press the Enter key and enter your password (this is your login password):

13) Press the Enter key after entering your password and apt-get will respond by showing which files are going to be uninstalled:

If you want to uninstall the files, then press the Enter key. If you don’t want to uninstall the files, type the N key and then press the Enter key.

Double Checking Your Uninstall Script

If the package you are uninstalling was not the last package installed, there is the risk that you will accidentally uninstall a package that some other application depends on.

Why Double Check?

For example, you install abiword. Abiword depends on the package ttf-lyx and it will be installed it if it is not already installed.
Later, you install cadabra. Cadabra also depends on ttf-lyx, but since it is already installed, it will use the installed copy instead of installing a new copy.
If you uninstall abiword using the technique above, it will explicitly uninstall ttf-lyx (which is also needed by cadabra – which was installed after abiword).
This will cause apt-get to uninstall cadabra because cadabra depends on ttf-lyx.
To avoid this problem, it is necessary to double check that you are not removing any extra files.
Since apt-get displays the files it is going to uninstall, it is a simple matter of checking that no additional files were added to the uninstallation:

Uninstalling Configuration Data

The last thing left to do is to delete / remove all the configuration data.
Unfortunately, this is hard to do since there is no record of what files and folders the (now uninstalled) application put on your computer.
A good place to start is in your /home directory and your /home/.config/ directory.
However, data, files, and folders could be squirreled away all over the place.
As you can see, it is not necessarily obvious what folders and files need deleting:

In this case, I know that it is the three highlighted folders that need deleting, but there is no easy way to tell (except by doing a before and after comparison – even that is tricky because an application typically does not write a .config file until it is used. For example, gedit creates the gedit folder after it is used. If you used gedit after you installed a package and then did a before and after comparison, you might be tempted to think the gedit folder needs to be removed as well.

The post Ubuntu 13.04 – How to Completely Uninstall/Remove a Package/Software/Program appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

This tutorial shows how to completely remove or uninstall a package in Ubuntu 12.10. These instructions should work for other versions of Ubuntu, it’s derivatives (Edubuntu, Kubuntu, Lubuntu, Xubuntu, Ubuntu Studio, Myhtbuntu) and other Debian based Linux distributions – but no guarantee is made.

This tutorial is definitely on the advanced rather than basic side of things, but if you are careful, it shouldn’t be a problem.

You would think that uninstalling a package would be as easy and straightforward as installing it – either enter sudo apt-get remove --auto-remove <package name> at a command line or click Remove in the Ubuntu Software Center. Unfortunately, it is not:

The Problem

There are three types of packages: (1) simple, (2) with dependencies, (3) complicated.

Simple packages install only a single program file and that’s it. They are completely self contained and don’t depend on anything other than the core operating system being present. These types of packages are rare.

Packages with dependencies need other files in order to work. When installing one of these packages, Ubuntu Software Center or apt-get determine what other files are needed and automatically installs them for you. Unfortunately, when you uninstall the package, the dependency files are usually left behind. Sometimes they can be removed by using the command sudo apt-get autoremove, but that is an exception rather than the rule.

Complicated packages (also called metapackages), typically, do not install any files. Instead, they are a collection of dependent packages. These are the hardest to clean up, since you have to uninstall each dependent package (along with its dependencies) separately.

Not only are various packages left behind after an uninstall, but also configuration data used by the removed package, directories (folders) and user data – all of these have to be manually removed.

Why Can’t Everything be Uninstalled?

My best guess is because it is a low priority:

• Users want applications to install easily and work. In the (fairly distant) past, installing applications in Linux was a pain – users would install an application and it wouldn’t work, then they would discover they needed to install some other package to get it working, and then there were package incompatibilities (still a problem in Linuxland) and so on. Nowadays, most Linux distributions do a very good job in packaging applications for easy installation.

• Hard disks are big. If you have a 500GB hard disk, will you really notice if 3MB or 50MB or even 1GB of data are cluttering it up? Probably not, the files cached by your Internet browser’s likely occupy more space on your hard disk.

• It is not sexy. Who cares if a programmer wrote a really neat uninstaller? Probably no one. Programmers are more interested in “cool” apps. And since it is possible to manually uninstall all the unnecessary applications, there is no incentive to write a proper uninstaller.

• Uninstallation should be a “rare” activity. Although, I think users are very likely to want to try out applications and uninstall them if they don’t like them or find it is not what they wanted.

• It is hard. If the user uninstalls something shortly after installing it, this is not too much of a problem because nothing much is likely to have happened on the system. But if the user chooses to uninstall something 2 years after they installed in – then there are numerous problems: (1) other applications may have been installed that depend on some of the same files (this makes deciding which files to uninstall complicated), (2) it is likely that updates and upgrades have been applied over time (the files and dependencies may have changed. Consider a program that originally depended on a file called cutting-edge-library, but later the developers switched to using mature-and-stable-library instead – this poses problems to the uninstallation program.

• Finally, if the uninstaller breaks an application the user wants to keep, the user is going to be unhappy, so it is better to be very conservative when uninstalling.

All the information needed to uninstall an installed package is available (sometimes it takes a little poking around). The only information not available is which files and folders are created by an application – so cleaning up all the config data, application folders and user data is harder.

This is a long standing problem with Linux – many projects have been started (and abandoned) whose purpose was to clean up leftover files on the computer.

Quick Instructions

1) Open the aptitude log file (/var/log/apt/history.log).

2) Locate the files that were installed.

3) Remove the files using sudo apt-get remove --auto-remove <file names>

4) Locate and remove configuration files and data associated with the package. Most often, they will be found in /home/ and /home/.config/ directories.

Detailed Instructions

Finding Out Which Packages Were Installed

Opening the Installation History Log File

All installation and uninstallation operations that happen using apt-get or Ubuntu Software Center (or any of the aptitude family of functions) are stored in /var/log/apt/history.log. Examining the contents of this file allows us to determine which packages were installed.

1) Click on the Home Folder icon:

2) Click on File System:

3) Double-click on the var folder:

4) Double-click on the log folder:

5) Double-click on the apt folder:

6) Double-click on the history.log file – this should open it with gedit, the default text editor in Ubuntu 12.10:

Finding the Installation Data

7) Search for the package you installed. If it was the last package you installed, then it will be at the end of the file. The records are stored with the newest operations towards the end (bottom) of the file and the oldest at the beginning (top) of the file.

In the sample below, you can see I installed lubuntu-core on 29-Oct-2012:

Start-Date: 2012-10-29 21:52:00
Commandline: apt-get install lubuntu-core
Install: lightdm-gtk-greeter:i386 (1.3.1-0ubuntu1), libobrender27:i386 (3.5.0-4, automatic), lxsession:i386 (0.4.9.1~git20120828-0ubuntu1, automatic), openbox-themes:i386 (1.0.2, automatic), libfm-data:i386 (1.0.1-0ubuntu1, automatic), libfm-gtk-bin:i386 (1.0.1-0ubuntu1, automatic), obconf:i386 (2.0.3+20110805+debian-1, automatic), lubuntu-default-settings:i386 (0.29), lubuntu-icon-theme:i386 (0.34, automatic), lxsession-data:i386 (0.4.9.1~git20120828-0ubuntu1, automatic), lubuntu-artwork:i386 (0.34), plymouth-theme-lubuntu-text:i386 (0.34), pcmanfm:i386 (1.0.1-0ubuntu1, automatic), lubuntu-core:i386 (0.45), libfm-gtk-data:i386 (1.0.1-0ubuntu1, automatic), libgif4:i386 (4.1.6-9.1ubuntu1, automatic), libfm-gtk3:i386 (1.0.1-0ubuntu1, automatic), lubuntu-lxpanel-icons:i386 (0.34, automatic), lubuntu-artwork-12-10:i386 (0.34, automatic), openbox:i386 (3.5.0-4), libglade2-0:i386 (2.6.4-1ubuntu2, automatic), gnome-icon-theme-full:i386 (3.6.0-0ubuntu2, automatic), elementary-icon-theme:i386 (2.7.1-0ubuntu6, automatic), lxmenu-data:i386 (0.1.2-2, automatic), libfm3:i386 (1.0.1-0ubuntu1, automatic), lxshortcut:i386 (0.1.2-3, automatic), lxpanel:i386 (0.5.10+git20120823-0ubuntu1), libid3tag0:i386 (0.15.1b-10build3, automatic), libimlib2:i386 (1.4.5-1ubuntu1, automatic), libmenu-cache1:i386 (0.3.3-1, automatic), libobt0:i386 (3.5.0-4, automatic), plymouth-theme-lubuntu-logo:i386 (0.34)
End-Date: 2012-10-29 21:57:50

8) Cut and paste the Install data into an editor. You can start a new document in gedit by clicking on the Create a new document icon:

9) Edit the data to remove all unnecessary text.

:i386 \([0-9\~\.\+a-zA-Z\-, ]*\),?

:amd64 \([0-9\~\.\+a-zA-Z\-, ]*\),?

10) Add the following to the start of the edited package list: sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove . You should have something that looks like this:

sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove lightdm-gtk-greeter libobrender27 lxsession ...

11) Cut and paste this package list with the apt-get command from step 10 into a Terminal to completely uninstall the package.

It should look something like this (the exact list of files will depend on what you are uninstalling):

12) Press the Enter key and enter your password (this is your login password):

13) Press the Enter key after entering your password and apt-get will respond by showing which files are going to be uninstalled:

If you want to uninstall the files, then press the Enter key. If you don’t want to uninstall the files, type the N key and then press the Enter key.

Double Checking Your Uninstall Script

If the package you are uninstalling was not the last package installed, there is the risk that you will accidentally uninstall a package that some other application depends on.

Why Double Check?

For example, you install abiword. Abiword depends on the package ttf-lyx and it will be installed it if it is not already installed.

Later, you install cadabra. Cadabra also depends on ttf-lyx, but since it is already installed, it will use the installed copy instead of installing a new copy.

If you uninstall abiword using the technique above, it will explicitly uninstall ttf-lyx (which is also needed by cadabra – which was installed after abiword).

This will cause apt-get to uninstall cadabra because cadabra depends on ttf-lyx.

To avoid this problem, it is necessary to double check that you are not removing any extra files.

Since apt-get displays the files it is going to uninstall, it is a simple matter of checking that no additional files were added to the uninstallation:

Uninstalling Configuration Data

The last thing left to do is to delete / remove all the configuration data.

Unfortunately, this is hard to do since there is no record of what files and folders the (now uninstalled) application put on your computer.

A good place to start is in your /home directory and your /home/.config/ directory.

However, data, files, and folders could be squirreled away all over the place.

As you can see from these screenshots, it is not necessarily obvious what folders and files need deleting:

The post Ubuntu 12.10 – How to Completely Uninstall/Remove a Package/Software/Program appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.04 running the Unity desktop on which the Lubuntu Core Desktop was installed using either the Ubuntu Software Center or sudo apt-get on the command line.

The instructions may be the same for other versions of Ubuntu, but no guarantee is made.

When the Xubuntu Core Desktop is installed in Ubuntu 12.04, it installs several packages and libraries it requires as well as some optional packages. Not all these packages and libraries are uninstalled when you uninstall Xubuntu Core Desktop. Several packages (like thunar) do not get uninstalled.

Quick Uninstall

1) Open a terminal (instructions can be found here).

2) Enter the following command (it is very long and a single line):

sudo apt-get remove --auto-remove --purge desktop-base exo-utils fonts-droid gtk2-engines-xfce libexo-1-0 libexo-common libexo-helpers libgarcon-1-0 libgarcon-common libglade2-0 libjpeg-progs libjpeg-turbo-progs libkeybinder0 libthunarx-2-0 libtumbler-1-0 liburi-perl libxfce4ui-1-0 libxfce4util-bin libxfce4util-common libxfce4util4 libxfconf-0-2 lightdm-gtk-greeter miscfiles orage plymouth-theme-xubuntu-logo plymouth-theme-xubuntu-text shimmer-themes tango-icon-theme thunar thunar-data thunar-volman ttf-droid tumbler tumbler-common xfce-keyboard-shortcuts xfce4 xfce4-appfinder xfce4-mixer xfce4-notifyd xfce4-panel xfce4-session xfce4-settings xfce4-utils xfce4-volumed xfconf xfdesktop4 xfdesktop4-data xfwm4 xscreensaver xscreensaver-data xubuntu-artwork xubuntu-default-settings xubuntu-icon-theme xubuntu-wallpapers

It is easiest to copy the line and paste it into the terminal (right-click on the terminal and select Paste from the popup menu).

Preferred Uninstall

The better way to uninstall it is to follow the directions on this page.

This will show you on how to uninstall only the packages that were installed when Xubuntu Core Desktop was installed. The instructions are generic and work for any installed package.

It involves:

1. identifying which packages were installed and
2. creating a command to uninstall only those packages

It leaves intact any packages you may have installed (like thunar) or that were installed as dependencies for other programs instead of blindly assuming that they were installed along with Xubuntu Core Desktop.

The post Ubuntu 12.04 – How to Completely Remove / Uninstall Xubuntu Core Desktop appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.04 running the Unity desktop on which the Lubuntu Core Desktop was installed using either the Ubuntu Software Center or sudo apt-get on the command line.

The instructions may be the same for other versions of Ubuntu, but no guarantee is made.

When the Lubuntu Core Desktop is installed in Ubuntu 12.04, it installs several packages and libraries it requires as well as some optional packages. Not all these packages and libraries are uninstalled when you uninstall Lubuntu Core Desktop. Several packages (like galculator) do not get uninstalled.

Quick Uninstall

1) Open a terminal (instructions can be found here).

2) Enter the following command (it is very long and a single line):

sudo apt-get remove --auto-remove --purge  elementary-icon-theme galculator giblib1 gnome-icon-theme-full libfm-data libfm-gtk-data libfm-gtk1 libfm1 libgif4 libglade2-0 libid3tag0 libimlib2 libjpeg-progs libjpeg-turbo-progs libmenu-cache1 libobrender27 libobt0 lightdm-gtk-greeter lubuntu-artwork lubuntu-artwork-12-04 lubuntu-core lubuntu-default-settings lubuntu-icon-theme lxmenu-data lxpanel lxsession lxshortcut miscfiles obconf openbox openbox-themes pcmanfm plymouth-theme-lubuntu-logo plymouth-theme-lubuntu-text scrot xscreensaver xscreensaver-data

It is easiest to copy the line and paste it into the terminal (right-click on the terminal and select Paste from the popup menu).

Preferred Uninstall

The better way to uninstall it is to follow the directions on this page.

This will show you on how to uninstall only the packages that were installed when Lubuntu Core Desktop was installed. The instructions are generic and work for any installed package.

It involves:

1. identifying which packages were installed and
2. creating a command to uninstall only those packages

It leaves intact any packages you may have installed (like galculator) or that were installed as dependencies for other programs instead of blindly assuming that they were installed along with Lubuntu Core Desktop.

The post Ubuntu 12.04 – How to Completely Remove / Uninstall Lubuntu Core Desktop appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

These instructions are for removing VirtualBox Guest Additions from Ubuntu 12.10 running under VirtualBox version 4.2.2.

They may be the same or similar for other version combinations and other Linux distros, but no guarantee is made.

Assumes you know how to open a terminal. Instructions for opening a terminal can be found here.

Uninstalling VirtualBox Guest Additions

1) Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and enter the following commands:

cd /media
cd <username>
cd VBOXADDITIONS_4.2.2_81494
sudo sh VBoxLinuxAdditions.run uninstall

After entering your password, the VirtualBox Guest Additions will be uninstalled:

Ejecting the VirtualBox Guest Additions CD

Having uninstalled the VirtualBox Guest Additions, there is not much point in keeping the Guest Additions media installed.

2) Click on the Home Folder icon on the Unity Launcher:

3) Click on the Eject icon next to the Guest Additions:

The post Ubuntu 12.10 – How to Uninstall VirtualBox Guest Additions appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.04 running the Unity desktop on which GNOME Shell was installed using either the Ubuntu Software Center or sudo apt-get on the command line.

The instructions may be the same for other versions of Ubuntu, but no guarantee is made.

When GNOME Shell is installed in Ubuntu 12.04, it installs several packages and libraries it requires as well as some optional packages. Not all these packages and libraries are uninstalled when you uninstall GNOME Shell.

Quick Uninstall

1) Open a terminal (instructions can be found here).

2) Enter the following command (it is very long and a single line):

sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove alacarte cups-pk-helper gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0 gir1.2-caribou-1.0  gir1.2-clutter-1.0 gir1.2-cogl-1.0 gir1.2-coglpango-1.0 gir1.2-folks-0.6  gir1.2-gdesktopenums-3.0 gir1.2-gee-1.0 gir1.2-gjsdbus-1.0 gir1.2-gkbd-3.0  gir1.2-json-1.0 gir1.2-mutter-3.0 gir1.2-networkmanager-1.0  gir1.2-panelapplet-4.0 gir1.2-polkit-1.0 gir1.2-telepathyglib-0.12  gir1.2-telepathylogger-0.2 gir1.2-upowerglib-1.0 gir1.2-xkl-1.0 gjs  gnome-applets gnome-applets-data gnome-contacts gnome-icon-theme-full  gnome-panel gnome-panel-data gnome-session-fallback gnome-shell  gnome-shell-common gnome-themes-standard indicator-applet-complete  libcaribou-common libcaribou0 libclutter-1.0-0 libclutter-1.0-common  libcogl-common libcogl-pango0 libcogl9 libgjs0c libmozjs185-1.0 libmutter0  libpanel-applet-4-0 mutter-common python-gmenu

It is easiest to copy the line and paste it into the terminal (right-click on the terminal and select Paste from the popup menu).

Preferred Uninstall

The better way to uninstall it is to follow the directions on this page.

This will show you on how to uninstall only the packages that were installed when GNOME Shell was installed. The instructions are generic and work for any installed package.

It involves:

1. identifying which packages were installed and
2. creating a command to uninstall only those packages

It leaves intact any packages you may have installed or that were installed by other packages instead of blindly assuming that they were installed along with GNOME Shell.

The post Ubuntu 12.04 – How to Completely Uninstall / Remove GNOME Shell appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.04 running the Unity desktop on which GNOME was installed using either the Ubuntu Software Center or sudo apt-get on the command line.

The instructions may be the same for other versions of Ubuntu, but no guarantee is made.

When GNOME is installed in Ubuntu 12.04, it installs several packages and libraries it requires as well as some optional packages. Not all these packages and libraries are uninstalled when you uninstall GNOME. Several packages (like epiphany-browser and gnuchess) do not get uninstalled.

Quick Uninstall

1) Open a terminal (instructions can be found here).

2) Enter the following command (it is very long and a single line):

sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove alacarte bogofilter bogofilter-bdb bogofilter-common browser-plugin-gnash cheese  cheese-common cups-pk-helper dconf-tools desktop-base ekiga epiphany-browser  epiphany-browser-data epiphany-extensions evolution evolution-common  evolution-plugins evolution-webcal fonts-cantarell gdebi gdebi-core gdm  gedit-plugins gimp gimp-data gir1.2-accountsservice-1.0 gir1.2-caribou-1.0  gir1.2-clutter-1.0 gir1.2-cogl-1.0 gir1.2-coglpango-1.0 gir1.2-folks-0.6  gir1.2-gdesktopenums-3.0 gir1.2-gee-1.0 gir1.2-gjsdbus-1.0 gir1.2-gkbd-3.0  gir1.2-gucharmap-2.90 gir1.2-json-1.0 gir1.2-mutter-3.0  gir1.2-networkmanager-1.0 gir1.2-panelapplet-4.0 gir1.2-polkit-1.0  gir1.2-telepathyglib-0.12 gir1.2-telepathylogger-0.2 gir1.2-upowerglib-1.0  gir1.2-xkl-1.0 gjs glchess glines gnash gnash-common gnect gnibbles gnobots2  gnome gnome-applets gnome-applets-data gnome-backgrounds gnome-contacts  gnome-core gnome-dictionary gnome-games gnome-games-extra-data  gnome-icon-theme-extras gnome-icon-theme-full gnome-js-common gnome-panel  gnome-panel-data gnome-session-fallback gnome-shell gnome-shell-common  gnome-themes-standard gnome-video-effects gnotravex gnotski gnuchess  gnuchess-book gtali hamster-applet iagno imagemagick imagemagick-common  indicator-applet-complete inkscape libbabl-0.0-0 libblas3gf libbonobo2-0  libbonobo2-common libbonoboui2-0 libbonoboui2-common libboost-iostreams1.46.1  libboost-program-options1.46.1 libboost-signals1.46.1 libboost-thread1.46.1  libcapi20-3 libcaribou-common libcaribou0 libcdt4 libcheese-gtk21 libcheese3  libclutter-1.0-0 libclutter-1.0-common libclutter-gst-1.0-0 libclutter-gtk-1.0-0  libclutter-imcontext-0.1-0 libcluttergesture-0.0.2-0 libcogl-common  libcogl-pango0 libcogl9 libept1.4.12 libevolution libgc1c2 libgdict-1.0-6  libgdict-common libgegl-0.0-0 libgfortran3 libgimp2.0 libgjs0c libglade2-0  libgnome2-0 libgnomecanvas2-0 libgnomecanvas2-common libgnomeui-0  libgnomeui-common libgnomevfs2-extra libgraph4 libgsl0ldbl libgtkhtml-4.0-0  libgtkhtml-4.0-common libgtkhtml-editor-4.0-0 libgtkmm-2.4-1c2a libgvc5  libilmbase6 liblapack3gf liblqr-1-0 libmagick++4 libmagickcore4  libmagickcore4-extra libmagickwand4 libmozjs185-1.0 libmusicbrainz4-3 libmutter0  libmx-1.0-2 libnetpbm10 libodbc1 libopal3.10.2 libopenexr6 libpanel-applet--0  libpathplan4 libpst4 libpt2.10.2 libseed-gtk3-0 libwmf-bin liferea liferea-data  lightsoff menu menu-xdg mutter-common netpbm notification-daemon odbcinst  odbcinst1debian2 perlmagick python-gmenu python-gnome2 python-lxml python-numpy  python-pyorbit python-uniconvertor quadrapassel sound-juicer swell-foop synaptic  unixodbc

It is easiest to copy the line and paste it into the terminal (right-click on the terminal and select Paste from the popup menu).

Preferred Uninstall

The better way to uninstall it is to follow the directions on this page.

This will show you on how to uninstall only the packages that were installed when GNOME was installed. The instructions are generic and work for any installed package.

It involves:

1. identifying which packages were installed and
2. creating a command to uninstall only those packages

It leaves intact any packages you may have installed (like epiphany-browser or gnuchess) or that were installed by other packages instead of blindly assuming that they were installed along with GNOME.

The post Ubuntu 12.04 – How to Completely Uninstall / Remove GNOME appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.04 running the Unity desktop on which gnome-session-fallback was installed using either the Ubuntu Software Center or sudo apt-get on the command line.

The instructions may be the same for other versions of Ubuntu, but no guarantee is made.

When gnome-session-fallback is installed in Ubuntu 12.04, it installs several packages and libraries it requires as well as some optional packages. Not all these packages and libraries are uninstalled when you uninstall gnome-session-fallback.

Quick Uninstall

1) Open a terminal (instructions can be found here).

2) Enter the following command (it is very long and a single line):

sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove alacarte gir1.2-panelapplet-4.0 gnome-applets gnome-applets-data gnome-panel  gnome-panel-data gnome-session-fallback indicator-applet-complete  libpanel-applet-4-0 python-gmenu

It is easiest to copy the line and paste it into the terminal (right-click on the terminal and select Paste from the popup menu).

Preferred Uninstall

The better way to uninstall it is to follow the directions on this page.

This will show you on how to uninstall only the packages that were installed when gnome-session-fallback was installed. The instructions are generic and work for any installed package.

It involves:

1. identifying which packages were installed and
2. creating a command to uninstall only those packages

It leaves intact any packages you may have installed or were installed by other applications instead of blindly assuming that they were installed along with gnome-session-fallback.

The post Ubuntu 12.04 – How to Completely Uninstall / Remove gnome-session-fallback appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.04 running the Unity desktop on which kde-plasma-desktop was installed using either the Ubuntu Software Center or sudo apt-get on the command line.

The instructions may be the same for other versions of Ubuntu, but no guarantee is made.

When kde-plasma-desktop is installed in Ubuntu 12.04, it installs several packages and libraries it requires as well as some optional packages. Not all these packages and libraries are uninstalled when you uninstall kde-plasma-desktop. Several packages (like dolphin and kwrite) do not get uninstalled.

Quick Uninstall

1) Open a terminal (instructions can be found here).

2) Enter the following command (it is very long and a single line):

sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove akonadi-backend-mysql akonadi-server docbook-xsl dolphin freespacenotifier gpsd  icoutils kate-data katepart kde-baseapps kde-baseapps-bin kde-baseapps-data  kde-plasma-desktop kde-runtime kde-runtime-data kde-style-oxygen  kde-wallpapers-default kde-window-manager kde-window-manager-common  kde-workspace kde-workspace-bin kde-workspace-data kde-workspace-kgreet-plugins  kdelibs-bin kdelibs5-data kdelibs5-plugins kdepasswd kdepim-runtime  kdepimlibs-kio-plugins kdm kdoctools kfind kinfocenter klipper kmenuedit  konqueror konqueror-nsplugins konsole ksysguard ksysguardd  kubuntu-debug-installer kwrite libakonadi-calendar4 libakonadi-contact4  libakonadi-kabc4 libakonadi-kcal4 libakonadi-kde4 libakonadi-kmime4  libakonadi-notes4 libakonadiprotocolinternals1 libattica0.3  libboost-program-options1.46.1 libcln6 libclucene0ldbl libdlrestrictions1  libdmtx0a libencode-locale-perl libfile-listing-perl libfont-afm-perl libgps20  libhtml-form-perl libhtml-format-perl libhtml-parser-perl libhtml-tagset-perl  libhtml-tree-perl libhttp-cookies-perl libhttp-daemon-perl libhttp-date-perl  libhttp-message-perl libhttp-negotiate-perl libilmbase6 libio-socket-inet6-perl  libio-socket-ssl-perl libkabc4 libkactivities-bin libkactivities6 libkalarmcal2  libkatepartinterfaces4 libkcal4 libkcalcore4 libkcalutils4 libkcmutils4  libkde3support4 libkdeclarative5 libkdecorations4 libkdecore5 libkdesu5  libkdeui5 libkdewebkit5 libkdnssd4 libkemoticons4 libkephal4abi1 libkfile4  libkholidays4 libkhtml5 libkidletime4 libkimap4 libkio5 libkjsapi4 libkjsembed4  libkldap4 libkmbox4 libkmediaplayer4 libkmime4 libknewstuff3-4 libknotifyconfig4  libkntlm4 libkonq-common libkonq5-templates libkonq5abi1 libkonqsidebarplugin4a  libkparts4 libkpimidentities4 libkpimtextedit4 libkpimutils4 libkpty4  libkresources4 libkrosscore4 libkscreensaver5 libksgrd4 libksignalplotter4  libktexteditor4 libkunitconversion4 libkwineffects1abi3 libkwinglutils1  libkwinnvidiahack4 libkworkspace4abi1 liblwp-mediatypes-perl  liblwp-protocol-https-perl libmailtools-perl libmailtransport4 libmicroblog4  libnepomuk4 libnepomukdatamanagement4 libnepomukquery4a libnepomuksync4  libnepomukutils4 libnet-http-perl libnet-ssleay-perl libntrack-qt4-1 libntrack0  libopenexr6 libphonon4 libplasma-geolocation-interface4 libplasma3  libplasmaclock4abi3 libplasmagenericshell4 libpolkit-qt-1-1 libprison0  libprocesscore4abi1 libprocessui4a libqalculate5 libqapt-runtime libqapt1  libqca2 libqimageblitz4 libqrencode3 libqt4-qt3support libsocket6-perl libsolid4  libsolidcontrol4abi2 libsolidcontrolifaces4abi2 libsoprano4 libstreamanalyzer0  libstreams0 libsyndication4 libtaskmanager4abi3 libthreadweaver4  libtimedate-perl liburi-perl libvirtodbc0 libweather-ion6 libwww-perl  libwww-robotrules-perl libxml2-utils libxss1 mysql-client-core-5.5  mysql-server-core-5.5 ntrack-module-libnl-0 odbcinst odbcinst1debian2  oxygen-cursor-theme oxygen-icon-theme phonon phonon-backend-gstreamer  plasma-dataengines-workspace plasma-desktop plasma-scriptengine-javascript  plasma-widget-folderview plasma-widgets-workspace qapt-batch  shared-desktop-ontologies soprano-daemon systemsettings virtuoso-minimal  virtuoso-opensource-6.1-bin virtuoso-opensource-6.1-common

It is easiest to copy the line and paste it into the terminal (right-click on the terminal and select Paste from the popup menu).

Preferred Uninstall

The better way to uninstall it is to follow the directions on this page.

This will show you on how to uninstall only the packages that were installed when kde-plasma-desktop was installed. The instructions are generic and work for any installed package.

It involves:

1. identifying which packages were installed and
2. creating a command to uninstall only those packages

It leaves intact any packages you may have installed (like dolphin or kwrite) or that were installed by other packages instead of blindly assuming that they were installed along with kde-plasma-desktop.

The post Ubuntu 12.04 – How to Completely Uninstall / Remove kde-plasma-desktop appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.04 running the Unity desktop on which the Kubuntu Desktop was installed using either the Ubuntu Software Center or sudo apt-get on the command line.

The instructions may be the same for other versions of Ubuntu, but no guarantee is made.

When the Kubuntu Desktop is installed in Ubuntu 12.04, it installs several packages and libraries it requires as well as some optional packages. Not all these packages and libraries are uninstalled when you uninstall Kubuntu Desktop. Several packages (like dolphin and kmail) do not get uninstalled.

Quick Uninstall

1) Open a terminal (instructions can be found here).

2) Enter the following command (it is very long and a single line):

sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove akonadi-backend-mysql akonadi-server akregator amarok amarok-common amarok-utils  apport-kde apturl-kde ark bluedevil cdparanoia cdrdao cryptsetup docbook-xsl  dolphin dragonplayer freespacenotifier gnupg-agent gnupg2 gpgsm gpsd  gstreamer0.10-qapt gtk2-engines-oxygen gtk3-engines-oxygen gwenview ibus-qt4  icoutils jockey-kde k3b k3b-data kaccessible kaddressbook kamera kate kate-data  katepart kcalc kde-baseapps-bin kde-baseapps-data kde-config-gtk  kde-config-touchpad kde-runtime kde-runtime-data kde-style-oxygen  kde-wallpapers-default kde-window-manager kde-window-manager-common  kde-workspace kde-workspace-bin kde-workspace-data kde-workspace-kgreet-plugins  kde-zeroconf kdegames-card-data kdegraphics-strigi-analyzer kdelibs-bin  kdelibs5-data kdelibs5-plugins kdemultimedia-kio-plugins kdenetwork-filesharing  kdepasswd kdepim-kresources kdepim-runtime kdepim-strigi-plugins  kdepimlibs-kio-plugins kdesudo kdm kdoctools khelpcenter4 kinfocenter klipper  kmag kmail kmenuedit kmix kmousetool knotes konsole kontact kopete  kopete-message-indicator korganizer kpat kppp ksnapshot ksysguard ksysguardd  ksystemlog ktimetracker ktorrent ktorrent-data kubuntu-debug-installer  kubuntu-default-settings kubuntu-desktop kubuntu-firefox-installer  kubuntu-netbook-default-settings kubuntu-notification-helper  kubuntu-web-shortcuts kvkbd kwalletmanager language-selector-kde  libakonadi-calendar4 libakonadi-contact4 libakonadi-kabc4 libakonadi-kcal4  libakonadi-kde4 libakonadi-kmime4 libakonadi-notes4 libakonadiprotocolinternals1  libassuan0 libattica0.3 libbluedevil1 libboost-program-options1.46.1  libcalendarsupport4 libcln6 libclucene0ldbl libdebconf-kde0 libdlrestrictions1  libdmtx0a libencode-locale-perl libepub0 libeventviews4 libfile-listing-perl  libflac++6 libfont-afm-perl libgadu3 libgpgme++2 libgps20 libgrantlee-core0  libhtml-form-perl libhtml-format-perl libhtml-parser-perl libhtml-tagset-perl  libhtml-tree-perl libhttp-cookies-perl libhttp-daemon-perl libhttp-date-perl  libhttp-message-perl libhttp-negotiate-perl libibus-qt1 libilmbase6  libincidenceeditorsng4 libindicate-qt1 libio-socket-inet6-perl  libio-socket-ssl-perl libk3b6 libkabc4 libkactivities-bin libkactivities6  libkalarmcal2 libkateinterfaces4 libkatepartinterfaces4 libkblog4 libkcal4  libkcalcore4 libkcalutils4 libkcddb4 libkcmutils4 libkde3support4  libkdeclarative5 libkdecorations4 libkdecore5 libkdegames5a libkdepim4  libkdepimdbusinterfaces4 libkdesu5 libkdeui5 libkdewebkit5 libkdgantt2  libkdnssd4 libkemoticons4 libkephal4abi1 libkexiv2-10 libkexiv2-data libkfile4  libkholidays4 libkhtml5 libkidletime4 libkimap4 libkio5 libkipi-data libkipi8  libkjsapi4 libkjsembed4 libkldap4 libkleo4 libkmanagesieve4 libkmbox4  libkmediaplayer4 libkmime4 libknewstuff2-4 libknewstuff3-4 libknotifyconfig4  libkntlm4 libkonq-common libkonq5-templates libkonq5abi1 libkontactinterface4  libkopete4 libkparts4 libkpgp4 libkpimidentities4 libkpimtextedit4 libkpimutils4  libkprintutils4 libkpty4 libkresources4 libkrosscore4 libksba8 libkscreensaver5  libksgrd4 libksieve4 libksieveui4 libksignalplotter4 libktexteditor4 libktnef4  libktorrent-l10n libktorrent3 libkunitconversion4 libkwineffects1abi3  libkwinglutils1 libkwinnvidiahack4 libkworkspace4abi1 libkxmlrpcclient4  liblastfm0 libloudmouth1-0 liblwp-mediatypes-perl liblwp-protocol-https-perl  libmailcommon4 libmailtools-perl libmailtransport4 libmessagecomposer4  libmessagecore4 libmessagelist4 libmessageviewer4 libmicroblog4 libmsn0.3  libmuonprivate1 libmygpo-qt1 libnepomuk4 libnepomukdatamanagement4  libnepomukquery4a libnepomuksync4 libnepomukutils4 libnet-http-perl  libnet-ssleay-perl libntrack-qt4-1 libntrack0 libokularcore1abi1 libopenexr6  libotr2 libphonon4 libplasma-geolocation-interface4 libplasma3  libplasmaclock4abi3 libplasmagenericshell4 libpolkit-qt-1-1 libpoppler-qt4-3  libprison0 libprocesscore4abi1 libprocessui4a libqalculate5 libqapt-runtime  libqapt1 libqca2 libqca2-plugin-ossl libqgpgme1 libqimageblitz4 libqjson0  libqrencode3 libqt4-qt3support libqtglib-2.0-0 libqtgstreamer-0.10-0  libqtscript4-core libqtscript4-gui libqtscript4-network libqtscript4-sql  libqtscript4-uitools libqtscript4-xml libreoffice-kde libreoffice-style-oxygen  libsocket6-perl libsolid4 libsolidcontrol4abi2 libsolidcontrolifaces4abi2  libsoprano4 libstreamanalyzer0 libstreams0 libsyndication4 libtag-extras1  libtaskmanager4abi3 libtemplateparser4 libthreadweaver4 libtimedate-perl  liburi-perl libvirtodbc0 libweather-ion6 libwww-perl libwww-robotrules-perl  libxml2-utils libxss1 libzip2 muon muon-installer muon-notifier muon-updater  mysql-client-core-5.5 mysql-server-core-5.5 ntrack-module-libnl-0 odbcinst  odbcinst1debian2 okular okular-extra-backends oxygen-cursor-theme  oxygen-icon-theme partitionmanager phonon phonon-backend-gstreamer pinentry-gtk2  pinentry-qt4 plasma-dataengines-addons plasma-dataengines-workspace  plasma-desktop plasma-netbook plasma-scriptengine-javascript  plasma-scriptengine-python plasma-widget-facebook plasma-widget-folderview  plasma-widget-kimpanel plasma-widget-menubar plasma-widget-message-indicator  plasma-widget-networkmanagement plasma-widgets-addons plasma-widgets-workspace  plymouth-theme-kubuntu-logo plymouth-theme-kubuntu-text polkit-kde-1  printer-applet python-kde4 python-pyudev qapt-batch qapt-deb-installer quassel  quassel-data rekonq shared-desktop-ontologies software-properties-kde  soprano-daemon system-config-printer-kde systemsettings tasks-icons  update-manager-kde usb-creator-kde userconfig virtuoso-minimal  virtuoso-opensource-6.1-bin virtuoso-opensource-6.1-common xsettings-kde

It is easiest to copy the line and paste it into the terminal (right-click on the terminal and select Paste from the popup menu).

Preferred Uninstall

The better way to uninstall it is to follow the directions on this page.

This will show you on how to uninstall only the packages that were installed when Kubuntu Desktop was installed. The instructions are generic and work for any installed package.

It involves:

1. identifying which packages were installed and
2. creating a command to uninstall only those packages

It leaves intact any packages you may have installed (like dolphin or kmail) or were installed previously as part of other packages instead of blindly assuming that they were installed along with Kubuntu Desktop.

The post Ubuntu 12.04 – How to Completely Uninstall / Remove the Kubuntu Desktop appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.04 running the Unity desktop on which the Xubuntu Desktop was installed using either the Ubuntu Software Center or sudo apt-get on the command line.

The instructions may be the same for other versions of Ubuntu, but no guarantee is made.

When the Xubuntu Desktop is installed in Ubuntu 12.04, it installs several packages and libraries it requires as well as some optional packages. Not all these packages and libraries are uninstalled when you uninstall Xubuntu Desktop. Several packages (like abiword and thunar) do not get uninstalled.

Quick Uninstall

1) Open a terminal (instructions can be found here).

2) Enter the following command (it is very long and a single line):

sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove abiword abiword-common abiword-plugin-grammar abiword-plugin-mathview alacarte  bison blueman brltty-x11 catfish exo-utils flex fonts-droid gigolo gimp  gimp-data gmusicbrowser gnome-system-tools gnome-time-admin gnumeric  gnumeric-common gnumeric-doc gstreamer0.10-gnomevfs gthumb gthumb-data  gtk2-engines-pixbuf indicator-application-gtk2 indicator-messages-gtk2  indicator-sound-gtk2 indicator-status-provider-pidgin leafpad libabiword-2.9  libao-common libao4 libaudio-scrobbler-perl libbabl-0.0-0 libbison-dev  libconfig-inifiles-perl libdigest-crc-perl libencode-locale-perl libept1.4.12  libexo-1-0 libexo-common libexo-helpers libfile-listing-perl libfl-dev  libfont-afm-perl libgarcon-1-0 libgarcon-common libgdome2-0  libgdome2-cpp-smart0c2a libgegl-0.0-0 libgimp2.0 libglade2-0 libgnomevfs2-extra  libgoffice-0.8-8 libgoffice-0.8-8-common libgsf-1-114 libgsf-1-common  libgstreamer-perl libgtk2-notify-perl libgtk2-trayicon-perl libgtkmathview0c2a  libhtml-form-perl libhtml-format-perl libhtml-parser-perl libhtml-tagset-perl  libhtml-tree-perl libhttp-cookies-perl libhttp-daemon-perl libhttp-date-perl  libhttp-message-perl libhttp-negotiate-perl libid3tag0 libido-0.1-0 libilmbase6  libio-socket-inet6-perl libio-socket-ssl-perl libjpeg-progs libjpeg-turbo-progs  libkeybinder0 liblink-grammar4 libloudmouth1-0 liblwp-mediatypes-perl  liblwp-protocol-https-perl libmailtools-perl libnet-dbus-perl libnet-http-perl  libnet-ssleay-perl liboobs-1-5 libopenexr6 libotr2 libots0 libsexy2  libsocket6-perl libtagc0 libthunarx-2-0 libtidy-0.99-0 libtie-ixhash-perl  libtimedate-perl libtumbler-1-0 liburi-perl libwv-1.2-4 libwww-perl  libwww-robotrules-perl libxfce4ui-1-0 libxfce4util-bin libxfce4util-common  libxfce4util4 libxfcegui4-4 libxfconf-0-2 libxml-parser-perl libxml-twig-perl  libxml-xpath-perl libxss1 lightdm-gtk-greeter link-grammar-dictionaries-en m4  mpg321 orage parole pastebinit pavucontrol pidgin pidgin-data pidgin-libnotify  pidgin-microblog pidgin-otr plymouth-theme-xubuntu-logo  plymouth-theme-xubuntu-text python-configobj python-glade2 python-gmenu  ristretto screensaver-default-images shimmer-themes synaptic  system-tools-backends tcl8.5 thunar thunar-archive-plugin thunar-data  thunar-media-tags-plugin thunar-volman ttf-droid ttf-lyx tumbler tumbler-common  xchat xchat-common xfburn xfce-keyboard-shortcuts xfce4-appfinder  xfce4-cpugraph-plugin xfce4-datetime-plugin xfce4-dict xfce4-indicator-plugin  xfce4-mailwatch-plugin xfce4-netload-plugin xfce4-notes xfce4-notes-plugin  xfce4-notifyd xfce4-panel xfce4-places-plugin xfce4-power-manager  xfce4-power-manager-data xfce4-quicklauncher-plugin xfce4-screenshooter  xfce4-session xfce4-settings xfce4-systemload-plugin xfce4-taskmanager  xfce4-terminal xfce4-utils xfce4-verve-plugin xfce4-volumed xfce4-weather-plugin  xfce4-xkb-plugin xfconf xfdesktop4 xfdesktop4-data xfwm4 xscreensaver  xscreensaver-data xscreensaver-gl xubuntu-artwork xubuntu-default-settings  xubuntu-desktop xubuntu-docs xubuntu-icon-theme xubuntu-wallpapers

It is easiest to copy the line and paste it into the terminal (right-click on the terminal and select Paste from the popup menu).

Preferred Uninstall

The better way to uninstall it is to follow the directions on this page.

This will show you on how to uninstall only the packages that were installed when Xubuntu Desktop was installed. The instructions are generic and work for any installed package.

It involves:

1. identifying which packages were installed and
2. creating a command to uninstall only those packages

It leaves intact any packages you may have installed (like abiword or thunar) or that were installed as necessary parts of other packages instead of blindly assuming that they were installed along with Xubuntu Desktop.

The post Ubuntu 12.04 – How to Completely Uninstall / Remove Xubuntu Desktop appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.

These instructions are for Ubuntu 12.04 running the Unity desktop on which the Lubuntu Desktop was installed using either the Ubuntu Software Center or sudo apt-get on the command line.

The instructions may be the same for other versions of Ubuntu, but no guarantee is made.

When the Lubuntu Desktop is installed in Ubuntu 12.04, it installs several packages and libraries it requires as well as some optional packages. Not all these packages and libraries are uninstalled when you uninstall Lubuntu Desktop. Several packages (like abiword and chromium browser) do not get uninstalled.

Quick Uninstall

1) Open a terminal (instructions can be found here).

2) Enter the following command (it is very long and a single line):

sudo apt-get purge --auto-remove abiword abiword-common abiword-plugin-grammar abiword-plugin-mathview  ace-of-penguins audacious audacious-plugins audacious-plugins-data blueman  chromium-browser chromium-browser-l10n chromium-codecs-ffmpeg  elementary-icon-theme esound-common galculator gdebi gdebi-core  gecko-mediaplayer giblib1 gnome-icon-theme-full gnome-mplayer gnome-system-tools  gnome-time-admin gnumeric gnumeric-common gnumeric-doc gpicview  gtk2-engines-pixbuf guvcview hardinfo indicator-status-provider-pidgin leafpad  libaacs0 libabiword-2.9 libaudclient2 libaudcore1 libaudiofile1 libbinio1ldbl  libbluray1 libbs2b0 libcddb2 libcompfaceg1 libcue1 libencode-locale-perl  libept1.4.12 libesd0 libexo-1-0 libexo-common libexo-helpers  libfile-listing-perl libfluidsynth1 libfm-data libfm-gtk-data libfm-gtk1 libfm1  libfont-afm-perl libgdome2-0 libgdome2-cpp-smart0c2a libglade2-0 libgmlib0  libgmtk0 libgmtk0-data libgoffice-0.8-8 libgoffice-0.8-8-common libgringotts2  libgsf-1-114 libgsf-1-common libgtkmathview0c2a libguess1 libhtml-form-perl  libhtml-format-perl libhtml-parser-perl libhtml-tagset-perl libhtml-tree-perl  libhttp-cookies-perl libhttp-daemon-perl libhttp-date-perl libhttp-message-perl  libhttp-negotiate-perl libid3tag0 libimlib2 libio-socket-inet6-perl  libio-socket-ssl-perl libjpeg-progs libjpeg-turbo-progs liblink-grammar4  libloudmouth1-0 liblwp-mediatypes-perl liblwp-protocol-https-perl  libmailtools-perl libmcrypt4 libmenu-cache1 libmowgli2 libmpg123-0  libnet-dbus-perl libnet-http-perl libnet-ssleay-perl libobrender27 libobt0  libonig2 liboobs-1-5 libopts25 libots0 libpisock9 libresid-builder0c2a  libsidplay2 libsocket6-perl libtar0 libtidy-0.99-0 libtie-ixhash-perl  libtimedate-perl libuniconf4.6 liburi-perl libvdpau1 libwebcam0 libwv-1.2-4  libwvstreams4.6-base libwvstreams4.6-extras libwww-perl libwww-robotrules-perl  libxfce4ui-1-0 libxfce4util-bin libxfce4util-common libxfce4util4 libxfconf-0-2  libxml-parser-perl libxml-twig-perl libxml-xpath-perl libxss1  lightdm-gtk-greeter link-grammar-dictionaries-en lm-sensors lubuntu-artwork  lubuntu-artwork-12-04 lubuntu-core lubuntu-default-settings lubuntu-desktop  lubuntu-icon-theme lubuntu-software-center lxappearance lxappearance-obconf  lxinput lxkeymap lxlauncher lxmenu-data lxpanel lxpanel-indicator-applet-plugin  lxrandr lxsession lxsession-edit lxshortcut lxtask lxterminal mplayer2 mtpaint  ntp obconf openbox openbox-themes osmo pcmanfm pidgin pidgin-data  pidgin-libnotify pidgin-microblog plymouth-theme-lubuntu-logo  plymouth-theme-lubuntu-text python-pysqlite2 python-xklavier scrot sylpheed  sylpheed-doc sylpheed-i18n sylpheed-plugins synaptic system-tools-backends  transmission ttf-lyx uvcdynctrl uvcdynctrl-data wvdial xfburn  xfce-keyboard-shortcuts xfce4-power-manager xfce4-power-manager-data xfconf  xfonts-100dpi xpad xscreensaver xscreensaver-data

It is easiest to copy the line and paste it into the terminal (right-click on the terminal and select Paste from the popup menu).

Preferred Uninstall

The better way to uninstall it is to follow the directions on this page.

This will show you on how to uninstall only the packages that were installed when Lubuntu Desktop was installed. The instructions are generic and work for any installed package.

It involves:

1. identifying which packages were installed and
2. creating a command to uninstall only those packages

It leaves intact any packages you may have installed (like abiword or chromium browser) or that were installed as dependencies for other programs instead of blindly assuming that they were installed along with Lubuntu Desktop.

The post Ubuntu 12.04 – How to Completely Uninstall / Remove Lubuntu Desktop appeared first on Complete, Concrete, Concise.