What's the difference between "Mark for Removal" and "Mark for Complete Removal" in Synaptic Package Manager?
When I right click on a package in Synaptic Package Manager it presents selections for removal and complete removal. What are the differences between these options?
Mark for removal removes the package, but not the configuration files associated with the package. It is equivalent to
apt-get remove package_name
Mark for Complete Removal purges the package, i.e. removes both the package files and its configuration. It is equivalent to
apt-get --purge remove package_name
From the Synaptic Package Manager manual:
3.2. To Remove Packages
Configuration files and user created data (e.g. a website in "/var/www") are not removed from the system by default.
Debian only: You can change the default behavior in the preferences.
Debian only: To remove all files related to the package choose Mark for Complete Removal instead of Mark for Removal.
The "complete removal" option will also remove global configurations files, e.g. in /etc