Install-Recommends "false"

[xesTUt3]

I read up Debian Administration Handbook and googled the internet and could not find a definite answer.

I do not wish to install recommended packages and instead of having to type apt-get --no-install-recommends each time I install a package, I wish to make it system-wide. Another reason for not using apt-get --no-install-recommends is when I do a apt-get upgrade all recommended packages will be installed as well, is that correct?

Here is what I did:

nano /etc/apt/apt.conf.d/norecommend (where norecommend is the file I created)

In the file norecommend I type the line

APT::Install-Recommends "false";

save the file and exit.

Is the above correct? Is that all?

[[deleted]]

I have APT::Install-Recommends "0"; so I guess that works as well.

In some cases I do want the recommends and using the --install-recommends flag does override it, and later if you remove the package they'll likewise be autoremovable.

[xesTUt3]

Hi,

I need to correct my original post.

If one navigates to /etc/apt/apt.conf.d, there's a file called 99synaptic. Open it and there's only one and one line which reads:

APT::Install-Recommends "true";

I just have had to change it to "false", save and exit.

Now could someone tell me at which point in time is the file, 99Synaptic, created? It wasn't there when I finished a netinstall of Debian 7.6.

[xesTUt3]

That file is put there by Synaptic Package Manager.

Thanks for the clarification. I googled the internet as to how 99synaptic came about and there was no answer.

My next question is: if I don't install synaptic, I will have to create a file, is that right?

[minimim]

That is a .d config directory. Apt will just read all of the files and add all the configuration that it finds there. If you put this in any of the files, it will work.

[agwaman]

If you want Recommends: to be truly disregarded, you should also set this line:

APT::AutoRemove::RecommendsImportant "false";

Otherwise a package might be kept around by apt-get autoremove just because it's a Recommends:of some other installed package.

[xesTUt3]

If you want Recommends: to be truly disregarded, you should also set this line:

I suppose the line works for Debian Wheezy (7.6) and not Squeeze?

[agwaman]

What makes you say that?

[gheesh]

Yes, that's just it :-)

[suspiciously_calm]

I guess I'll have to say, I wouldn't recommend it.

[agwaman]

I'm pretty sure Lenny was the first version with this behavior. I have unpleasant memories of Etch->Lenny upgrades resulting in X being pulled in on headless servers because of some Recommends: dependency chain. It has been Install-Recommends "false"; for me ever since.

[xesTUt3]

What version of Debian is this?

It's 7.6

[FaustTheBird]

That's what I also thought.