DEBORPHAN(N)                                         DEBORPHAN(N)



NAME
       deborphan - Orphaned package finder

SYNOPSIS
       deborphan [OPTION]... [PACKAGE]...

DESCRIPTION
       deborphan  finds  packages that have no packages depending
       on them. The default operation is to  search  only  within
       the  libs  and  oldlibs  sections,  to  hunt  down  unused
       libraries.

       If it is invoked with an optional list of  packages,  only
       the  dependencies  on  those packages will be checked. The
       results are printed to stdout as if the option --show-deps
       had  been given. Searching for specific packages will show
       the package, regardless of its priority. It is possible to
       specify -, to read a list of packages from standard input.

       -h, --help
              Display a short help message and exit.

       -v, --version
              Display version information and exit.

       -f, --status-file=FILE
              Use FILE as the status file.

       -d, --show-deps
              Show a list of dependencies for packages that  have
              them.

       -P, --show-priority
              Show the priority of the packages found.

       -n, --nice-mode
              Toggle  nice-mode.  If  DEFAULT_NICE  is defined at
              compiletime, this option will turn  off  nice-mode.
              Nice-mode checks if there is a package `suggesting'
              or `recommending' the package. If one is found, the
              package  will  be  marked as in use, or, when -s is
              used, print out the package suggesting the  package
              as if it were depending on it.

       -a, --all-packages
              Check  all  the  packages, instead of only those in
              the libs section. Best used (if  at  all  used)  in
              combination  with  --priority.  This option implies
              --show-section,  when   compiled   with   ALL_PACK-
              AGES_IMPLY_SECTION defined (default)

       -s, --show-section
              Show the sections the packages are in.

       --no-show-section
              Override  showing  sections  when the default is to
              show them (see --all-packages).

       -p, --priority=PRIORITY
              Show only those packages with a priority equal  to,
              or  greater  than  PRIORITY. PRIORITY may be in the
              range  of  1-5,  or  one  of  required,  important,
              standard, optional, extra. Default value for PRIOR-
              ITY is 2 (important).

       -H, --force-hold
              Ignore "hold" flags on packages. Normally  packages
              with the "hold" flag set will not be displayed.

       -A, --add-keep PKG1...PKGn
              Add  packages  to  the  list  of packages which are
              never to be reported, regardless  of  their  state.
              You  may  specify  '-'  to use standard input. Note
              that package names are case-sensitive.

       -R, --del-keep PKG1...PKGn
              Remove packages from the list of packages which are
              never  to  be reported.  You may specify '-' to use
              standard input.  If there are no  dependencies  for
              this  package  next  time  deborphan is invoked, it
              will be reported again.

       -L, --list-keep
              Show the list of packages that are being kept back.

       -k, --keep-file=FILE
              Use  FILE  to store the list of kept-back packages.
              See also --add-keep.

       --df-keep
              Use debfoster's keepfile, regardless of the default
              setting.  Can not be used if deborphan was compiled
              without support for debfoster.

       --no-df-keep
              Do not use debfoster's keepfile.

       --guess-*
              See GUESSING below.

GUESSING
       deborphan can try to guess what packages  may  not  be  of
       much  use  to you by examining the package's name. It will
       pretend the package  is  in  the  main/libs  section,  and
       report  it  as  if it were a library. This method is in no
       way perfect or even reliable, so beware when using this!


       The following options are to be prefixed by --guess-:


       perl   This option tries to find perl modules. It tries to
              match ^lib.*-perl$.


       section
              This option tries to find libraries that were acci-
              dentally placed in the wrong section. It  tries  to
              match  ^lib,  but  not  if it ends in one of: -dbg,
              -doc, -perl, or -dev.


       dev    This option tries  to  find  development  packages,
              i.e. packages with names ending in -dev.


       debug  This option tries to find debugging libraries, i.e.
              packages with names ending in -dbg.


       all    Try all of the above.


       only   Ignore the package's section completely,  and  just
              go  for  the name. This option must be used in con-
              juction with one or  more  of  the  options  listed
              above, or deborphan will not display anything.


FILES
       /var/lib/dpkg/status
              Statuses  of  available  packages.  See the section
              INFORMATION ABOUT PACKAGES in dpkg's  man-page  for
              more information

       /var/lib/deborphan/keep
              A newline-seperated list of packages to keep. Pack-
              age names are in no particular order.

SEE ALSO
       dpkg(g), dselect(t), orphaner(r), editkeep(p), xargs(s)

BUGS
       If   you   report   a    bug,    please    include    your
       /var/lib/dpkg/status file.  That would help in reproducing
       the bugs.

AUTHORS
       Cris van Pelt <"Cris van Pelt"@tribe.eu.org>.




deborphan                   April 2000               DEBORPHAN(N)