Linux has a special place on the workbench of electronic engineers and programmers, due to the ease of carrying out programming work on this operating system.
However, this facility is not present for those who are not used to handling Linux and, in these cases, performing the actions can be frustrating for those who are used to more straightforward operating systems such as Windows.
Among these actions is the process of uninstalling programs. Failure to do so would imply a rapid filling of the memory and a reduction in the performance of your PC. Therefore, we will guide you in the process to uninstall programs in Linux.
Why is it important to remove useless or unused programs in Linux?
Linux is a completely different operating system from Windows, with many features that can be complicated in comparison. However, one of the advantages is that it produces very few junk files, in addition to those derived from the installation of programs As a result, although performance is not affected in the same way as in Windows, memory fills up faster and faster.
This occurs because many times when uninstalling programs on Linux, only the core packages are removed and we put aside the secondary dependencies of the uninstalled programs. Besides that, as time progresses, the operating system accumulates cache memory due to temporary files or cookies, gradually limiting hard disk space.
Learn step by step how to uninstall any program from your computer with Linux system
Once you have mastered the use of the terminal to some extent, performing all kinds of actions becomes very simple, without more complications than writing a specific code and confirming the action.
The same case is given to uninstall programs, and the steps to follow are the following:
-
Open the command terminal Linux with
CTRL + ALT + T -
Write the command:
sudo apt-get --purge remove [nombre del programa], keeping the brackets. - Press “S” to confirm the action, followed by “Enter”.
This command will remove the desired program, but the complementary dependencies of said program are not deleted, so it is necessary to enter the command apt-get autoremove. This command is complementary to the first, since removes folders and dependencies that were not removed by uninstalling the program.
Tips to free up space on Linux and improve your computer’s performance to make it faster
Now that you know why your PC fills with garbage and the methods to prevent this from happening, you need to know that there are actions you can take to prevent your operating system from overloading, as well as the steps you can take to increase its performance.
Right now, we will give you a couple of tips that will be very useful to keep the memory of your Linux PC in optimal condition:
Update your operating system regularly
The most popular operating systems release updates regularly, and in many cases they can optimize the resource libraries and significantly improve the performance of your computer, so you should check frequently for available updates. You can also use the command sudo apt-get update in the Linux command terminal to run the update process, if available.
Clear the cache periodically
If you are one of the users who likes to try new programs, install, configure and uninstall them, you should know that this accumulates a large amount of cache in the operating system which, lately, will be an unnecessarily occupied space. To solve this problem, you must insert in the terminal the command sudo apt clean. This function performs a cleanup of the cache files stored in the folder apt, which will give greater availability of space to your PC.
Use a cleaning tool
A great option to keep your PC free of junk, is employ third-party applications dedicated to removing unnecessary files from the system, as well as residual files from previously uninstalled programs.