Provided by: localepurge_0.7.3.4_all 
NAME
localepurge - reclaim disk space removing unneeded localizations
SYNOPSIS
localepurge
DESCRIPTION
localepurge is a small script to recover disk space wasted for unneeded locale files and
localized man pages. It will be automagically invoked by dpkg upon completion of any apt
installation run. You have to define the locale directory names you want to keep from
removal after each apt installation run in the /etc/locale.nopurge configuration file.
Unless localepurge has been adequately configured, the system's localization files won't
be touched at all.
The contents of following directories will be affected from removals:
- /usr/share/doc/kde/HTML
- /usr/share/gnome/help
- /usr/share/locale
- /usr/share/man
- /usr/share/omf
The localization files you actually need and which you want to be preserved on your system
can be easily configured by running the following command:
dpkg-reconfigure localepurge
OPTIONS
The configurable options consist of toggling verbose output, reporting a summary of freed
space, and deletion of localized manual pages in addition to locale files. All actions
are specified in the /etc/locale.nopurge configuration file.
For detailed debugging the commandline switch -debug or just a short -d instead are
available for usage. For verbose output the commandline switch -verbose or just a short
-v can be added.
A Word of CAUTION
Please note, that this tool is a hack which is not integrated with Debian's package
management system and therefore is not meant for the faint of heart. Responsibility for
its usage and possible breakage of your system therefore lies in the sysadmin's (your)
hands.
Please definitely do abstain from reporting any bugs blaming localepurge if you break your
system by using it. If you don't know what you are doing and can't handle any resulting
breakage on your own then please simply don't use it.
All locale directories containing a subdirectory named LC_MESSAGES which are either
commented out or not even listed at all in /etc/locale.nopurge will be irreversibly
deleted. The only way to reinstall any lost locales is a complete reinstallation of all
the Debian packages containing them. See /usr/share/doc/localepurge/reinstall_debs.sh for
a recipe. Alternatively you can reconfigure it with dpkg-reconfigure(8) to prevent locale
files from being purged during subsequent runs of apt.
SOLVING PROBLEMS caused by localepurge
This program does interfere with the Debian package management and does provoke strange,
but usually harmless, behaviour of programs related with apt/dpkg like dpkg-repack(1),
debsums(1), reportbug(1), etc. If you need to have any package in its full integrity so
that e.g. the formerly mentioned programs work as designed by its author and as expected
by you, simply deinstall localepurge temporarily without purging its configuration and
reinstall the packages you need in their fully integral state. When you are done with what
you needed the integral packages for simply reinstall localepurge again.
FILES
/etc/locale.nopurge
SEE ALSO
Administrators of systems with short disk space should have a look at both the deborphan
and debfoster packages. Especially debfoster can work wonders for your scarce disk space!
deborphan(1)
debfoster(8)
dpkg-reconfigure(8)
debconf(8)
/usr/share/doc/localepurge/README.debian
/usr/share/doc/localepurge/reinstall_debs.sh
AUTHOR
localepurge and its accompanying manual page was written for the Debian GNU/Linux system
by Paul Seelig <pseelig@debian.org> with major contributions from Gustavo Noronha Silva
<kov@debian.org> and Francesco Potortì. The author sincerely hopes that some day further
development of Debian's great package management system will make localepurge fully
obsolete.
LOCALEPURGE(8)