how to *completely* remove a package from the cmd line?

[Tyler J. Wagner]

On Tuesday 10 Aug 2010 12:42:22 Robert P. J. Day wrote:
> $ dpkg -l | grep ^rc
> rc  authbind                                    1.2.0build3
> Allows non-root programs to bind() to low po
> $
> 
>   so, as i understand debian pkg mgmt, that means the package has been
> removed but not necessarily purged.  so far, so good.  but what can i
> use to see what files still exist that are (allegedly?) related to
> that package?
> 
> $ dpkg -L authbind
> Package `authbind' does not contain any files (!)

That means authbind is removed, but not purged, and it has no config files 
(generally files in /etc and /var, but directly listed in the package). If 
there are any, they would be listed by 'dpkg -L'. Example:

tyler at baal:~$ dpkg -l postfix
rc  postfix        2.7.0-1        High-performance mail transport agent

tyler at baal:~$ dpkg -L postfix
/etc
/etc/init.d
/etc/init.d/postfix
....
/etc/resolvconf
/etc/resolvconf/update-libc.d
/etc/resolvconf/update-libc.d/postfix
/var/spool/postfix

Regards,
Tyler

-- 
"Beware of altruism. It is based on self-deception, the root of all evil."
   -- Lazarus Long, "Time Enough for Love", by Robert A. Heinlein