What packages can I deinstall?

[Micah]

Pat Maddox wrote:
> I've got a bunch of packages installed on my machine and I'd like to
> know if I can deinstall any of them.  I know what a lot of them do,
> and know what will happen if I deinstall them.  Others, I'm not really
> sure.  For example I've got a package named cclient
> (http://www.freshports.org/mail/cclient/) installed.  If I run
> pkg_deinstall -n cclient, it says that it'd be removed without any
> problems.  So evidently no other package is depending on
> this...perhaps it's just an artifact from a package I installed a
> while back but deinstalled?
> 
> Basically I'd like to clear out any unused packages.  Is it safe to
> just run on pkg_deinstall -n on any package I don't recognize, and if
> it isn't required as a dependency for another package go ahead and
> delete it?
> 
> Thanks,
> Pat

It should be safe to do as long as you are fairly sure you don't need 
it.  There's a KDE program called gpkgdep (sysutils/gpkgdep) that let's 
you see what depends on a package.  It also lets you "simulate" the 
deinstall of different packages.  It might be quicker than the command 
line tools to find those packages,  though you still have to 
pkg_deinstall manually.

HTH,
Micah