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this question is more of the understanding of .run installation, when you download a file and use .run to install it, does it actually interact with Linux's package manager, or does it work just like a portable program, where once you delete the installation path, it's gone?

For example, if I download Qt Creator which has a .run file, and I install it in Documents/Qt, does that mean it's installed in that path and once I delete that folder it's gone from my system?

Paulie
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  • I had a problem with Qt which I had just resolved, and before hand I wanted to uninstall it, but I couldn't find anywhere to uninstall it (Synaptic Manager, Software Center, dpkg.log etc) – Paulie Nov 24 '15 at 11:52
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    PLease take a look http://askubuntu.com/questions/18747/how-do-i-install-run-files – BeGood Nov 24 '15 at 11:54
  • That post covers Installing, what about Uninstalling of Programs Installed via .run? – Paulie Nov 24 '15 at 11:58

2 Answers2

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.run files are simply executable files that contain a program's installation instructions.

Package managers can't track where the program's files are installed, so it's not really possible to uninstall the program.

The only way you can uninstall a program that uses a .run installer is if it provides an uninstaller. This is why programs that use .run installers are not recommended...

TellMeWhy
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    Thanks, that's a perfect answer, as from my perspective, Qt problem, it comes with an Uninstaller tool within the directory I installed it into. – Paulie Nov 24 '15 at 12:00
  • Well, IMO, .run files are made by people who do not understand linux and/or do not understand packaging. IMO the problem is not the lack of an uninstall option, but rather that they run as root and have the very real potential of overwriting system files and breaking your system. Always use a .deb when possible. – Panther Nov 24 '15 at 12:03
  • @DevRobot I'm new to AU, but not to the StackExchange ;) – Paulie Nov 24 '15 at 12:03
  • @bodhi.zazen actually reading the script first would be helpful of course... – TellMeWhy Nov 24 '15 at 12:03
  • Of course. People who read (and understand) the script and apt (or dnf) often don't run the script, they will package it. There is of course much variation. – Panther Nov 24 '15 at 12:06
  • @bodhi.zazen I never used Linux frequently up until recently and packaging/installing etc was very different to Windows, I'm not 100% on Linux/Ubuntu, but .run I find more complicated than packages. – Paulie Nov 24 '15 at 12:09
  • Often the things in .run files are available as Ubuntu packages or a ppa. Use the ubuntu repositories and/or ppa as much as possible as those packages are made by people who generally know how to package. – Panther Nov 24 '15 at 12:12
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It can interact with the package manager. It can do anything. They're just scripts. What they actually do depends on the people who write them. It is very possible that they build themselves a fake package to aid removal.

I have had some installers do this. I honestly can't remember which they were but they built themselves little meta-packages to aid removal.

These were system-installed though. I think it's very unlikely that a home-installed application is going to request to elevate to root permissions to do the same though.

Oli
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