Move from Windows to Linux on my uni laptop

>move from Windows to Linux on my uni laptop
>debian with xfce, for programming and other shit
>rice it to perfection for hours on end
>reboot
>lightdm doesn't start, get loaded into terminal instead of gui
>check stuff, lightdm and xfce4 are still installed
>remove lightdm to reinstall it afterwards
>for some reason it recommended me to sudo apt autoremove
>uuhhhhh sudo apt autoremove
>starts deleting everything nonstop
>panic for 5 seconds, try to cancel, then hit the power button
>reboot
>check damage

>half my fucking os is gone
>have to reinstall and start over completely

This shouldn't have happened. How did this happen?

>apt
Theres your problem

What's wrong with apt? fuckup aside

You really shouldn't run autoremove when reinstalling things. Also you should of actually read what it was going to remove instead of just blindly hitting yes.

He's probably just an elitist arch user who thinks his package manager is better.

when you
>uuhhhhh sudo apt autoremove
did you read the pkgs that will be deleted?

What happened was XFCE was installed as a meta-package, so everything within the XFCE group is considered dependent on one another. Eg. thunar and xfce calculator are considered dependencies even though they really aren't. To avoid this, I do a netinstall and only install what I need.

It appeared it was actually trying to delete everything
Why wouldn't autoremove have some sort of check to prevent it from deleting everything including debian packages when it knows i have a whole os installed? or at least ask me to confirm? I'm angry

wtf.. not even y/n ?

I don't remember there was one

GNU/Linux*

Autoremove removes all packages that weren't marked as manually installed and aren't dependencies for other packages. When you removed lightdm it probably took the xfce package group with it so the xfce packages were no longer dependencies for anything. Also apt will always recommend you run autoremove when it detects unneeded dependencies so you should read what it wants to remove before running it. Also if you run commands from a guide get rid of the -y so it doesn't autoconfirm.

see

>probably took the xfce package group with it
mos def

Thanks for the insight

why didnt you just use apt purge desu?

>How did this happen?
>apt autoremove
Let this be your lesson not to use an apt-based distribution.

>plebian
you did this to yourself

it didn't rm his shit in home did it?
if no, all your rice is still there just apt install whatever again

There are 3 reasons.
Debian (apt), xfce, GNU. But mostly because youre a brainlet. Why did you even reinstall lightdm?

>be OP
>install Linux
>break it
>oh no, it's broken!
>start deleting everything
>oh no, it's deleting everything!
>OS is fucked
>how is this possible? It's your fault for not treating me like the retard I am!

Please go back to more idiot proof systems. Thank you.

This fag again.