Question

11

Why does apt output "WARNING: The following essential packages will be removed." and prompt me to enter the full phrase when purging a package?

rated 0 times [ 11] [ 0] / answers: 1 / hits: 16389 / 2 Years ago, thu, february 24, 2022, 6:28:50

Don't try this command.

While I'm trying to purge the package login, the package manager asks me to enter the whole text rather than [Y/n].

avinash@avinash-VirtualBox:~$ sudo apt-get purge login

Reading package lists... Done

Building dependency tree       

Reading state information... Done

The following packages will be REMOVED:

  login*

WARNING: The following essential packages will be removed.

This should NOT be done unless you know exactly what you are doing!

  login

0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 303 not upgraded.

After this operation, 1,212 kB disk space will be freed.

You are about to do something potentially harmful.

To continue type in the phrase 'Yes, do as I say!'

 ?]

Why it prompts me to enter the whole Yes, do as I say! text? What will happen if I enter Y or Yes?

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answered 2 Years ago ndeecru · Accepted Answer

login package consists of programs such as login,newgrp and su.These programs are also called system login tools. These tools are required to be able to login and use your system.

The login program invokes your user shell and enables command execution.

The newgrp program is used to change your effective group ID (useful for
workgroup type situations).

The su program allows changing your effective
user ID (useful being able to execute commands as another user).

This is an essential system package. So that the Warning message (This should NOT be done unless you know exactly what you are doing!) like below appears and asks you to enter the whole phrase Yes, do as I say!, while you trying to purge the package login

This should NOT be done unless you know exactly what you are doing!

      login

0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 303 not upgraded.

After this operation, 1,212 kB disk space will be freed.

You are about to do something potentially harmful.

To continue type in the phrase 'Yes, do as I say!'

?]

What will happen if i enter Y or Yes?

You have to enter correct phrase Yes, do as I say!, so that the package login will be removed. If you enter Y or Yes, it will abort the process of purging the package. Even the exclamatory mark,spaces,upper and lowercase letters are considered strictly.

Yes  -  Abort

Yes, do as I say  -  Abort

yes, do as I say  -  Abort

Yes,do as I say!  -  Abort

Yes, do as I say! -  Success

After you successfully entered the phrase, dpkg removes the login package with force option enabled,

To continue type in the phrase 'Yes, do as I say!'

 ?] Yes, do as I say!

dpkg: warning: overriding problem because --force enabled:

 This is an essential package - it should not be removed.

(Reading database ... 162860 files and directories currently installed.)

Removing login ...

Purging configuration files for login ...

Processing triggers for man-db ...

Congratulations, now you can no longer login to your system.