Re: [Evolution] open

[Patrick O'Callaghan <poc usb ve>]

On Fri, 2017-12-29 at 12:25 +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
> On Fri, 2017-12-29 at 10:02 +0000, Patrick O'Callaghan wrote:
> > On Fri, 2017-12-29 at 06:39 +0100, Ralf Mardorf wrote:
> > > On Thu, 28 Dec 2017 17:53:03 +0000, Patrick O'Callaghan wrote:
> > > > > Uninstalled it, reinstalled it.  
> > > >
> > > > Virtually always a waste of time. Linux isn't Windows.
> > >
> > > Not necessarily. For example take Ubuntu's apt.
> > >
> > > "Removing a package removes all packaged data, but leaves usually
> > > small (modified) user configuration files behind, in case the
> > > remove was an accident. Just issuing an installation request
> > > for the accidentally removed package will restore its function as
> > > before in that case. On the other hand you can get rid of
> > > these leftovers by calling purge even on already removed packages. Note
> > > that this does not affect any data or configuration stored
> > > in your home directory." -
> > > http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/zesty/man8/apt.8.html
> > >
> > > If an Ubuntu user should mess up a config in e.g. /etc, then
> > > uninstalling a package using "purge" and after that installing it again
> > > very well could solve an issue.
> >
> > How is this relevant to Evolution?
>
> It's relevant for this thread, since you spread misinformation about
> Linux. Next time users reading this don't try to solve an issue, that
> actually could be solved by purging and after that installing a package.

I wasn't aware I was 'spreading misinformation about Linux'. Apparently
Ubuntu has this feature called 'purge' which I've never heard of. Maybe
it comes from Debian, which I don't use. In any case a special 'purge'
option is not a standard feature of Linux. In the case of rpm-based
distros, including Fedora which I use, this the default behaviour.

I also see from your quote that '... this does not affect any data or
configuration stored in your home directory'. My recommendation to the
OP was to try a new configuration in a separate Linux account, which
*will* effectively eliminate the effects of any per-user configuration.
Since Evolution only stores config information in the user account,
using 'purge' is indeed a waste of time in the case of Evolution.

And I note that my actual statement was 'virtually always a waste of
time', which I maintain is the exact truth. The number of times this is
going to correct a problem, either by explicitly deleting config files
or by using something like 'purge' is a in my experience a tiny
minority of cases. In other words the problem is almost always
somewhere else.

> You could have written that purging Evolution and then installing it
> again, doesn't make much sense, but instead you claimed: "Virtually
> always a waste of time. Linux isn't Windows." How is Windows relevant in
> the context of this thread?

Because reinstalling software is a standard recommendation when a
Windows user has a problem. It is definitely not a standard
recommendation in Linux.

poc