(SOLVED) Aptitude “idA” & Remove libmujs1 ?

[Member stevesr0]

I see that aptitude labels libmujs1 as “idA” which I think indicates that aptitude believes there is a problem with removing it. It is part of the libmujs javascript interpreter library and no packages depend upon it according to aptitude and apt-cache rdepends. I don’t know any reason why I would need this. I don’t know why this got installed.

A test removal (sudo apt remove -s libmujs1) just removes that without any complaint.

So (a) I don’t see that I need this package and (b) I don’t understand the “idA” label. I think I found this explained years ago – but I couldn’t find a clear explanation today.

Would appreciate any thoughts about (a) or (b), especially if there is any reason for me NOT to remove it.

Thanks.

stevesr0

• This topic was modified 10 months, 1 week ago by stevesr0.

[Forum Admin anticapitalista]

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I removed it and haven’t noticed anything unusual happening.

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

antiX with runit - leaner and meaner.

[Member iznit]

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stevesr0, this great document explains it [[[ idA ]]] https://www.debian.org/doc/manuals/debian-reference/ch02.en.html

2.2.5. Package views under aptitude

In the interactive full screen mode of aptitude(8), packages in the package list are displayed as the next example.

idA libsmbclient -2220kB 3.0.25a-1 3.0.25a-2

Here, this line means from the left as the following.

The “current state” flag (the first letter)

The “planned action” flag (the second letter)

The “automatic” flag (the third letter)

The Package name

The change in disk space usage attributed to “planned action”

The current version of the package

The candidate version of the package

[Member stevesr0]

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Hi anticapitalista,

Thanks for confirming that I probably don’t need to keep this <g>.

Hi iznit,

Thanks for the link. I checked that out and found that when running aptitude, hitting “?” opens up a help file which includes info on the symbols. Uh-duh on me.

(The only question this raised for me that I don’t have an answer for is when and what caused this package to be automatically installed as a dependency. ** I have NOT been doing the auto remove suggested as updates occur. I wouldn’t be surprised if doing that leads to this package going away. I will check the dependencies for those no longer needed packages before auto removing them and report back about that for completeness.)

stevesr0

(Thread marked solved.)

• This reply was modified 10 months, 1 week ago by stevesr0.
• This reply was modified 10 months, 1 week ago by stevesr0.

[Member iznit]

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when and what caused this package to be automatically installed as a dependency [?]

That can only be discovered [[[ and “probably”, not definitively ]]] by examining the dpkg logfile(s) and or the synaptic logfile(s) on your system….. if these logfiles have been retained [[[ possibly as multiple compressed files periodically generated by “logrotate” ]]]

use the grep command to search for libmujs1. Logfiles from synaptic are written under the home directory of the root user. I don’t recall where the dpkg logfiles sit. Somewhere under /var i guess, so I would just stab-at-straws grep the entire content of /var

[Member stevesr0]

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Thanks iznit. I will take a look at that (so long as they weren’t affected by the removal of log files in Sid recently mentioned on the forum.

I did look and find that they are one of the files listed as no longer needed when I do an apt update and full upgrade.

But that doesn’t tell me what package “needed” it at one point.

stevesr0

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