Orphaned packages!!!
http://img696.imageshack.us/img696/5130/orphanedpackages.th.jpg
Nope …
but you can clean up your system of orphaned packages with
sudo apt-get autoremove
if you wish
but check what is to be removed before accepting
libswt-gnome-gtk-3-jni is defined in Synaptic as -
The Standard Widget Toolkit (SWT) is a fast and rich GUI toolkit for the Java
programming language. SWT provides efficient, portable and fast access to
native controls and user interface facilities on the platforms where it has
been implemented.
and is NOT installed by default … and was probably installed as a dependency of something you have since removed.
it will take up a small amount of hard drive space, but will do no harm if left in place.
GTKorphan is unlikely to show anything that will be a problem for your system … just packages that are installed, but not needed by any applications any more … they are generally safe to stay on the system though
.
it’s only real use is for system cleaning … but unless you know what is safe to uninstall and what’s not … best left alone.
So… it’s like some sort of registry cleaner (I use the word loosley) (like on Windows)
Not really …
On a Windows system when you install software it comes pre-packaged with ALL the dependencies (think .dll’s) that it may need … this is wastefull because they may already be present on your system.
Linux on the other hand will install dependencies ONLY if they AREN’T present on the system … this saves an awful lot of downloading, and is one of the reasons Linux software and updates install MUCH quicker than Windows.
but when you UNINSTALL software, sometimes the dependencies get left behind (as the .dll’s do on Windows) … it’s safer to leave an orphaned package than to remove it when another application may depend on it being installed.
APT is pretty damn good at keeping track of orphaned packages, but it leaves some behind “just in case”, but allows you (as the system admin) to manually remove them.
Think of it like this …
Windows considers you too stupid to know what is what … so leaves things behind, doesn’t tell you about them, and doesn’t give you the option to manually uninstall them (easily).
When Linux leaves libraries/packages behind, it tells you it considers them orphaned, and gives you (as the system admin) the choice and tools to easily remove them.
Linux considers the system administrator as god, and (quite rightly) the person that should make these decisions. … then attempts to help you make that decision and act on it.
It’s all way beyond me, so I think I’ll leave stuff alone
Probably a good call … it’s nothing to worry about, and eventually it will all make sense
It all confused the s**t out of me too at the beginning … but it all comes together quicker than learning Windows from scratch (and again after another version is released)
Linux is IMHO far easier to learn … but yeh, it’s definitely a new learning curve after Windows … and may not LOOK easier at first.
But then Windows wasn’t “easy” at first … nobody is born knowing Windows either
Linux considers the system administrator as god
Yes. Quote of the year.