On Sat, 7 Dec 2002, Michael Weaver wrote: > Is Linux much tidier when uninstalling applications? > I ask this question because I sometimes find windows can be untidy when > installing applications because it seems to leave things behind under > control pannel. I ask this because I wonder if I should go over to a Linux > only system which might keep things tidier for me. > Hope someone can clear this up for me. I've never been much of a Windows user, but from what I hear, in this regard Windows is Hell and Linux Heaven. Installing Windows applications can and sometimes does replace system libraries with the author's pet version because the standard ones on his system "are not good enough." A result can be previously-installed applications begin to crash. What happens when you remove the new application I hate to imagine. There's room for speculation about what might happen when you upgrade the pet version with the latest Microsoft service pack or hot-fix. In contrast, on Linux I've never seen this happen. If an rpm package contains files that conflict with existing files then rpm complains, and you need to use strong words (aka --force or some such) to install the new package. Of course, removing such a package doesn't magically reinstall the old files (though that may be changed in Red Hat Linux 8.0). Removing a package often leaves a few files around, but those are reported on and, except for the disk space they use, harmless. Additionally, if the author wants some pet version of a library, that can usually be accomodated by having two (or more) versions installed together. And, you can also run the command "rpm -Va" to report on _all_ files not in their original condition. I've not used Debian enough to know about that. _______________________________________________ Blinux-list@redhat.com https://listman.redhat.com/mailman/listinfo/blinux-list