On Thu, 2020-05-14 at 16:12 -0400, Jon LaBadie wrote: > On Thu, May 14, 2020 at 05:24:13AM -0500, Robert G (Doc) Savage via > CentOS wrote: > > > > If you look at the listing attached to my last message, you'll > > > > see > > > > three different groups of packages: > > > > > > > > Removing: > > > > xxx > > > > Removing dependent packages: > > > > xxx > > > > Removing unused dependencies: > > > > xxx > > > > > > > > I don't understand the meaning of the last group of "unused > > > > dependencies". > > > > > As I understand them, dependent packages are dependent on MATE. > If MATE goes away they are useless. > > Dependencies are packages MATE is dependent upon. Other things > may also be dependent on those packages. > > Unused dependencies are things that if MATE were removed have > no other packages dependent on them. So MAYBE they are no longer > needed and can be removed. > > But be careful with these. Nothing may depend upon them, but you > may use them. First in your list is ImageMagick. You may use this > whether MATE is there or not. > > The "--noautoremove option prevents removal of "unused dependencies". > You can then take your list and see which you really don't need and > remove them separately. > > Jon Jon, You have nailed the obscure but critical element for removing a damaged MATE installation. The --noautoremove option made everything else possible: # dnf erase *mate* --noautoremove --skip-broken This removes all of the front line MATE packages and their direct dependencies. All are in the COPR repository. I just ran that command followed by a fresh re-install of MATE 1.22 using the instructions at https://copr.fedorainfracloud.org/coprs/stenstorp/MATE/. When I logged out of GNOME3 and logged back in using the re-installed MATE, all is well again. I think I owe you a beer or two Jon. Thanks very much. --Doc Savage Fairview Heights, IL