@Rob298 that's why one should use sudo apt-get purge if one wants to kill all the saved configurations and settings too...

  • That may also delete user data (i.e. under $HOME/.config/) and thus this may be undesireable compared to just reinstalling / replacing an application…

@kkarhan @Rob298 That's how it's supposed to be.

Just use either `apt purge' or `apt-get --purge remove'. The apt manual *explicitly* states,
"Note that this does not affect any data or configuration stored in your home directory."

As for the files *you created* via using firefox: that are in your *home* directory, system administration tools should absolutely never mess with those. No good admin would just erase user files without commands in writing from higher up.

Imagine ripping a bunch of CDs with ripperx, and your admin decides to switch to k3b instead. Do you really want all those files that *you created* via ripperx deleted?

@http @Rob298 precisely that!

  • Also most corp/org/edu networks only backup the $HOME directory and sometimes even allow syncing them across distros & keep them across version updates, so all the settings, addons and stuff remaib where they are: in said /home/ subfolders!

  • In fact most places with a sizeable #Linux-#Desktop landscape will just keep the /home/ directory on a redundant, #iSCSI-SAN and #netboot their #DisklessWorkstation|s via #iPXE, as this way burglars stealing devices most likely end up with a locked-down machine (anything but booting the preset network targets won't work without admin password!) that is a paperweight to them and espechally no data, which is crucial when it comes to #ITsec, #InfoSec, #OpSec & #ComSec.

Cuz it's way easier to secure 1-5 server rooms than thousands of publicly accessible machines on multiple campuses.

  • It's also a real godsent for technicians as they can just login / boot into a diagnostics system and quickly see what's wrong if a system has issues (if they don't already see it in their dashboard that collects logs, telling them they need to replace the CPU fan or clean a machine as it's overheating)...