Postfix removal - yikes

[NoOp]

On 01/26/2011 07:37 PM, Nick Edwards wrote:
> The following packages will be REMOVED:
>   lsb lsb-core lsb-cxx lsb-desktop lsb-graphics lsb-languages lsb-multimedia
> lsb-printing mailx postfix
> 
> I am going to use another non-debian (no repo) mail system so I need to
> remove postfix, can someone offer hint on how to do this
> without losing all the other files as well?
> 
> crazy to remove mailx since a system can send mail without postfix or
> sendmail, exim, et al.
> 
> nicky
> 
> 

$ apt-cache show mailx
Package: mailx
Status: install ok installed
Priority: extra
Section: mail
Installed-Size: 36
Maintainer: Ubuntu Core Developers <ubuntu-devel-discuss at lists.ubuntu.com>
Architecture: all
Source: bsd-mailx (8.1.2-0.20081101cvs-2ubuntu1)
Version: 1:20081101-2ubuntu1
Depends: bsd-mailx
Description: Transitional package for mailx rename
 This dummy package is provided to smooth the upgrade from mailx to
 bsd-mailx and can be safely removed afterwards.

It's a dummy package, so I don't think it should have any effect.

$ apt-cache showpkg mailx
Package: mailx
Versions:
1:20081101-2ubuntu1 (/var/lib/dpkg/status)
 Description Language:
                 File: /var/lib/dpkg/status
                  MD5: 8df361523bfb85feb69da5b63a3139a5


Reverse Depends:
  mysql-server-5.1,mailx
  smartmontools,mailx
  sharutils,mailx
  nagios3-common,mailx
  mysql-server-5.1,mailx
  lsb-core,mailx
  logrotate,mailx
  exim4-base,mailx
  devscripts,mailx
  bsd-mailx,mailx 1:20071201
  bsd-mailx,mailx 1:20071201
  bacula-director-common,mailx
  wims,mailx
  uucp,mailx
  tua,mailx
  sxid,mailx
  sn,mailx
  psad,mailx
  mysql-cluster-server-5.1,mailx
  mpt-status,mailx
  mirror,mailx
  mini-buildd-common,mailx
  ltp-commands-test,mailx
  integrit,mailx
  icinga-common,mailx
  hylafax-server,mailx
  heirloom-mailx,mailx 1:20071201
  gridengine-common,mailx
  gnumed-server,mailx
  fwanalog,mailx
  fcheck,mailx
  fail2ban,mailx
  cron-apt,mailx
  backupninja,mailx
  apticron,mailx
  amanda-server,mailx
  amanda-common,mailx
Dependencies:
1:20081101-2ubuntu1 - bsd-mailx (0 (null))
Provides:
1:20081101-2ubuntu1 -
Reverse Provides:
bsd-mailx 8.1.2-0.20100314cvs-1
mailutils 1:2.1+dfsg1-6
heirloom-mailx 12.4-2

$ sudo apt-get remove -s mailx
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following packages will be REMOVED:
  mailx
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 1 to remove and 1 not upgraded.
Remv mailx [1:20081101-2ubuntu1]

Do the same for postfix (use the '-s' to simulate the removal) to see
exactly what the result will be.