Re: LUG: Remove Parallel Desktop from system - Wed, 02 Mar 2011 21:57:30 -0500

Subject : Re: LUG: Remove Parallel Desktop from system

From : Kevin Hunter <hunteke@earlham.[redacted]>

Date : Wed, 02 Mar 2011 21:57:30 -0500

At 8:18pm -0500 Wed, 02 Mar 2011, Daniel Underwood wrote:
> I made the mistake of using Parallels Desktop for Linux a while
> back--personally, I think VirtualBox is much better. Now I want to
> remove it from my system, but I can't figure out how.

> Does anyone know how to remove it fully? (on Ubuntu)

I've never used Parallels, so I'm afraid you're on your own there.
Historically, one uses the method of installation for uninstallation as
well:

# if you installed from apt (or <insert distro repo manager>):
$ sudo apt-get install $MYPKG
# ... time passes ...
$ sudo apt-get remove $MYPKG

# if you installed from source:
$ sudo make install
... time passes ...
$ sudo make uninstall

# if you installed from a tarball:
$ sudo rm -rf /path/to/unpacked/installation/dir/

Administrators often do not trust proprietary software their users
request for installation, and so will put them in standard locations,
like /usr/local or /opt (those two are roughly synonymous, use-wise).

If you're really anal about it, you could see to which libraries an
executable links with ldd:

$ ldd /bin/bash

and work your way backwards from there.

For better or worse, if you didn't go through the OS package management
system, removing it will be difficult. (In this sense, Apple has it
right in keeping everything contained in a single directory.)

However, if you'd like my honest advice, wait until the next flavor of
your favorite distro comes out, and install afresh. If you've only
installed applications from the repositories, and assuming you either
partition or backup your non-system directories, you can be up and
running in about 30 minutes, applications, settings, and all. (Try
_that_ with a proprietary OS!)

Good luck,

Kevin