2,170 .desktop files!

[Snowhog]

Kubuntu Jaunty 9.04 KDE 4.3.2

Why in the world were 2,170 .desktop files installed, the vast majority of which are for applications NOT installed!?

For any that are interested, take a look at your /usr/share/app-install/desktop folder. Mine has 2,170 .desktop files taking up nearly a megabyte of disk space (865,905 bytes).

Just curious as to why the packagers would see it necessary to include these. I'd think that .desktop files should be included in the installation packages of the host application, and not packaged with the system installation itself.

[GreyGeek]

Re: 2,170 .desktop files!

Mine has 2,182.

Interestingly, EVERY application I've installed has that appliction's icon linked to the desktop name, even if I had later uninstalled it. EDIT: Otherwise, the icon is a "?" questionmark.

Consider them unfertilized desktop eggs?

[Rog131]

Re: 2,170 .desktop files!

With the Kubuntu 9.10:

The first at here is:

/usr/share/app-install/desktop/3dchess.desktop

It is coming from the:

apt-file search /usr/share/app-install/desktop/3dchess.desktop

app-install-data: /usr/share/app-install/desktop/3dchess.desktop

The package app-install-data is

This package contains the Ubuntu specific application data for
gnome-app-install, an easy to use and simple application installer.

a bit more > Bug#370027: ITP: app-install-data -- Application Installer Data Files:

This package contains the data files for user-oriented application installers. Currently used by adept-installer and gnome-app-install...

Notes:

The package is basically a compilation of .desktop files and icons
from Ubuntu archive...

On the rationale for the package, the data is used to present an
user-friendly list of applications available through APT. The list can
be (and by all current applications is) structured to reflect the
desktop environment menu structure. The applications are shown with
their icons if those are available in this package or otherwise on the
system.

This package is a temporary measure until a better solution is
implemented...

With the Karmic, it is crawling in with the packagekit (packagekit-backend-apt) dependency:

Package: packagekit-backend-apt
...
Depends:...app-install-data...

There are also (available):

app-install-data-partner (data files for partner applications/repositories)
app-install-data-medibuntu (the Medibuntu specific application data)

[Snowhog]

Re: 2,170 .desktop files!

Thank you! As always, you are a fount of information. Really, were do you get all this stuff? (reply not required)

It does appear that one can safely remove packagekit-backend-apt (which will remove kpackagekit packagekit as well) if one were so inclined - I mainly use Synaptic (usually just to 'find' something) and the CLI apt-get to install/remove packages.

[vinnywright]

Re: 2,170 .desktop files!

Hears some strangness for ya.

I opend that folder in dolphin.......it took for ever to load and whin it did I saw the same as you.....BUT then I closed dolphin and wint about my way browsing the forums........within 2 minuts Kpackagekit started giving me errors in the notification area.

saying that there were broken packages and dependency's and to use an advanced package manager like adept or synaptic to resolve them.

I first (as a test) went to Kpackagekit and clicked updates and it gave the same error.

I then did a sudo apt-get -f install that showed a LOT of packages that it sead were automaticley installed and are no longer requierd and to Use 'apt-get autoremove' to remove them.

hears the list...........

The following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:
libmono-addins-gui0.2-cil sg3-utils mono-2.0-gac menu-xdg desktop-base konq-plugins-l10n planner tomboy espeak ekiga
libboost-regex1.34.1 libgsf-gnome-1-114 gcalctool gthumb python-beagle gnome-nettool libmono-i18n2.0-cil libevent-1.4-2
gnome-games-extra-data libgtk-vnc-1.0-0 libgnomepanel2.24-cil aisleriot gtali libgail-gnome-module libmono0
libglade2.0-cil python-renderpm libtelepathy-glib0 xsane glchess libgda-4.0-common libglib2.0-cil libgnome-mag2
libgda3-common python-gnome2-extras ubuntu-gdm-themes gucharmap python-evince libosp5 gnome-games cheese libgconf2.0-cil
python-gamin libfame-0.9 gnome-network-admin libaudclient1 comerr-dev libgfortran3 gnobots2 hardinfo gnome-mahjongg
gthumb-data liferea-data totem-plugins ggzcore-bin gnome-mag gnome-themes-more libgtksourceview1.0-0 rhythmbox
w3c-dtd-xhtml gnome-themes-selected python-gdata system-config-printer-gnome gedit python-gtksourceview2 toolame
streamripper gnome-office libpvm3 libevview1 same-gnome libart2.0-cil libdns50 epiphany-extensions gnome-themes
libtrackerclient0 seahorse libggzmod4 python-pyogg libxml-twig-perl libsqlite0 whois libsgutils1 python-lxml totem-common
libass1 libkadm5srv6 gvfs-bin vinagre swfdec-gnome python-reportlab-accel gnumeric-common python-gda libgnome2.24-cil
python-gdl libkrb5-dev libsoup2.2-8 gnumeric-doc libndesk-dbus1.0-cil python2.4-minimal seahorse-plugins python2.4
python-gtksourceview gnibbles libldap2-dev libdvbpsi4 libmono-cairo2.0-cil libggi-target-x system-tools-backends
python-gtkspell libgssrpc4 dasher gconf-defaults-service guile-1.8-libs libtre4 libpolkit-gtk-1-0 python-pyvorbis
python-gtkmozembed python-gtkhtml2 p7zip libx264-65 gedit-common gnome-utils gnome-themes-extras libopal3.6.1
python-gnomedesktop libhesiod0 libgoffice-0-6-common libopal3.6.4 python-ogg libdmx1 libmono-i18n-west2.0-cil libcryptui0
gnome-games-common libtidy-0.99-0 libmono-addins0.2-cil gnome-orca libnet-dbus-perl libsdl-sound1.2 python-numpy
python-pyatspi libmono-posix2.0-cil gnome-volume-manager gtk2-engines libgtksourceview2.0-common libkpathsea4
libmono-security2.0-cil python-speechd eog libggi2 libgtksourceview2.0-0 gtk2-engines-smooth libgda-4.0-4 gnotski
liblouis0 python-gnomeprint python-4suite-doc gnome-backgrounds dasher-data python-eggtrayicon gnometris libpolkit-gnome0
libgii1 python-brlapi gok gnome-spell espeak-data libgtk2.0-cil libssl-dev mono-gac libggz2 libclutter-1.0-0
python-metacity at-spi tsclient libaudid3tag1 python-louis libgtksourceview-common vino mplayer-skin-blue libwmf-bin
evince libevdocument1 iagno python-rsvg glines media-player-info libffado0 gnome-app-install libspeechd2 libgii1-target-x
libclutter-gtk-0.10-0 gnome-sudoku libswfdec-0.8-0 libgtkhtml2-0 pvm libespeak1 libgoffice-0-6 libgoffice-0-8
libmagick++2 libmono-sharpzip2.84-cil python-mediaprofiles totem-gstreamer libpt2.6.4-plugins libmono-corlib2.0-cil tix
python-launchpad-integration python-sqlite python-uniconvertor python-gnomekeyring libgdata5 libblas3gf libgnomevfs2-bin
libgnome-speech7 xsane-common imagemagick-doc libtie-ixhash-perl python-bugbuddy mono-runtime libpt2.6.1
libxml-xpath-perl liblapack3gf libpt2.6.4 konq-plugins liferea libgmime-2.0-2a python-totem-plparser swfdec-mozilla
gnome-core gnotravex gnome-netstatus-applet gnect dmz-cursor-theme policykit-gnome python-evolution python-4suite-xml
libgda3-bin libqtscriptbindings1 liboobs-1-4 gnumeric libgda3-3 rss-glx libindicate1 libndesk-dbus-glib1.0-cil
libgdict-1.0-6 pmount libggzcore9 libgmyth0 gconf-editor libzephyr3 gnome-system-tools python-wnck liblrdf0 libkdb5-4
python-gksu2 speech-dispatcher gnome-accessibility xulrunner-1.9-gnome-support libgmime2.2a-cil python-nautilusburn
gstreamer0.10-gnomevfs ladcca2 totem gnome-accessibility-themes deskbar-applet liblouis-data libnautilus-burn4
python-gnome2-desktop firefox-3.0-branding gnome-mount libgnome-vfs2.0-cil perlmagick libvlccore0 python-chardet
gnome-blackjack inkscape libavahi-ui0 transmission-common python-reportlab python-gpod gstreamer0.10-tools totem-mozilla
libmono-system2.0-cil libgdl-1-3 libidn11-dev kmplayer-base file-roller serpentine transmission-gtk python-rdflib
libgdata-common libcurl4-openssl-dev python-gtop sound-juicer libgdl-1-common libdotconf1.0 libgoffice-0-8-common gnomine
gnome-vfs-obexftp

that wasent the case befor I looked at that folder...........It looks like all my Gnome stuff but who knows?

eneyway just thought it was kind of interesting and thought I'd share..........Hummm mabey I will run the autoremove and see what happens to Gnome and my Gnome apps.

VINNY

[vinnywright]

Re: 2,170 .desktop files!

Well I did the autoremove..............AND it did remove all that stuff..........but a lot of it was stuff that I use.....somtimes.....allthough just about eveything had a app. that could do it's job that wasent removed.......IE transmition was removed Ktorrent was not.......mplayer was removed from the menu's but not frome the system and Kmplayer and Gnome-mplayer remane........all the gnome games gone........rithembox....soundjuser....gone....

BUT as far as whats left ....I can still do everey thing I normaley do (so far) even login to Gnome and all seams OK thare to?

all in all over 700Mb of stuff gone but all is OK so far.

VINNY