>Home>.var>app

[RedBaronK™]

Can someone tell me if this folder only contains application folders for currently installed applications, or leftover folders of uninstalled applications too?

I can't tell which folders I can delete, and which ones I should leave alone.... Thanks.

[thetargos]

$HOME/.var 

Contains mostly components for flatpak applications and applications proper, though some components can be installed as well system wide. Usually when youbremove flatpaks via clinor Discover, if no other app uses its prerequesite, they can be also removed. Some applications may leave config files behind upon uninstall.

[tfk]

The var directory is used for files like logs. Often there are rules in place for cleaning up old logs etc. App icons, desktop files, can be found under $HOME/.local/share/applications/

Config files are often stored under .config. those are often left alone. Even when an app is deleted. Reason is that when you reinstall Linux but keep the home partition, you will still have al your config.

[RedBaronK™]

So I had installed and uninstalled AM2R launcher I found on discover for Metroid, then I uninstalled via discovery also... So I'm guessing the leftover folder is for the Metroid configuration file, this can definitely get deleted... But how does one go about finding out what folders are still in use? I have some folders I don't recognize the names of.


I don't suppose if you guys know of a handy application that does all this for us?

[deaddoof]

Originally posted by RedBaronK™:

So I had installed and uninstalled AM2R launcher I found on discover for Metroid, then I uninstalled via discovery also... So I'm guessing the leftover folder is for the Metroid configuration file, this can definitely get deleted... But how does one go about finding out what folders are still in use? I have some folders I don't recognize the names of.


I don't suppose if you guys know of a handy application that does all this for us?

I wish there was. Its turns out asking all developers to use common standards is a political problem and unsolvable due to Linux development.

The only way to figure out config files is to grok though ~/deck dir and search through all the dot files. i wish there is a better answer but Linux desktop is messy.

[WarnerCK]

~/.var/app is for flatpaks - optional on desktop Linux but pretty much mandatory for non-Steam applications on the Deck. (system-wide flatpaks can be elsewhere on desktop Linux, too, but you don't get the system-wide option on the Deck because of the read-only filesystem)

They will leave their configuration files behind when removed - retaining the configuration in case it's needed again is standard practise on Linux: if it's kept and you don't want it you can always delete it, but if it's removed and you do want it then you'd be SOL.

You can see what you've got installed to compare to the configuration files you have with flatpak list. Or look at the Installed tab in Discover.

[RedBaronK™]

So assuming that these old phantom files really don't take up too much space and I don't mind keeping them rather than risk deleting the wrong one.... Do any of these dead files present an issue or a potential problems for the system like outdated drivers would on windows? That's the only analogy I can come up with.. Because if these folders don't cause problems, I guess I can live with the clutter lol.

[deaddoof]

Originally posted by RedBaronK™:

So assuming that these old phantom files really don't take up too much space and I don't mind keeping them rather than risk deleting the wrong one....

Not that simple. I believe Steam dumps shader cache in one of these phatom files.

Do any of these dead files present an issue or a potential problems for the system like outdated drivers would on windows? That's the only analogy I can come up with.. Because if these folders don't cause problems, I guess I can live with the clutter lol.

Old settings can be surprising to the user.

[WarnerCK]

Originally posted by deaddoof:

I believe Steam dumps shader cache in one of these phatom files.

The shader cache is stored at ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/shadercache.

Originally posted by RedBaronK™:

So assuming that these old phantom files really don't take up too much space and I don't mind keeping them rather than risk deleting the wrong one.... Do any of these dead files present an issue or a potential problems for the system like outdated drivers would on windows? That's the only analogy I can come up with.. Because if these folders don't cause problems, I guess I can live with the clutter lol.

They aren't drivers. They're config files and things like cached fonts. They aren't used by anything other than the application that created them; if you've removed that application and don't reinstall it, they aren't used by anything at all.

[WarnerCK]

Also, nothing bad will happen if you delete them. If you delete the config for an installed system-wide flatpak (which isn't an option on the Deck), you just get the default config next time you launch it. If you delete the actual flatpak because it was installed in user mode (the only option on the Deck), all that happens is you no longer have that flatpak. If it was a dependency of some other flatpak that you still have installed, Discover will prompt you to reinstall it next time it does updates; otherwise it won't do anything.

[WarnerCK]

For a generally tidy view, just turn off "view hidden files" and you'll never see the mess. All files and directories that start with "." will magically vanish, and if there are some that you want to vanish that don't start with "." just write their names in a text file called .hidden and they, too, will magically vanish.

[deaddoof]

Originally posted by WarnerCK:

The shader cache is stored at ~/.local/share/Steam/steamapps/shadercache.


They aren't drivers. They're config files and things like cached fonts. They aren't used by anything other than the application that created them; if you've removed that application and don't reinstall it, they aren't used by anything at all.

Chrome abuses ~/.cache.

It might be better for the OP to open an application like filelight

https://apps.kde.org/filelight/

In most cases, the OP probably only care about file usage.

[WarnerCK]

Originally posted by deaddoof:

Chrome abuses ~/.cache.

OP is specifically asking about ~/.var/app.

[deaddoof]

Originally posted by WarnerCK:

Originally posted by deaddoof:

Chrome abuses ~/.cache.

OP is specifically asking about ~/.var/app.

The OP is a new Linux user. He has to get use to unfortunate stuff in Linux in general.

[RedBaronK™]

Originally posted by WarnerCK:

For a generally tidy view, just turn off "view hidden files" and you'll never see the mess. All files and directories that start with "." will magically vanish, and if there are some that you want to vanish that don't start with "." just write their names in a text file called .hidden and they, too, will magically vanish.

LOL i like that approach.. "basically out of sight, out of mind" sweep it under the rug approach.

Originally posted by deaddoof:

Originally posted by WarnerCK:

OP is specifically asking about ~/.var/app.

The OP is a new Linux user. He has to get use to unfortunate stuff in Linux in general.

Yep i am definitely new to Linux.... to me at least, it was a huge transition from windows. So far i like it, it seems less bloatware filled and ideal for gaming purposes... just some of the things are baffling like having numbers for folder names, forcing me to use Proton Tricks to figure out which folder is what... but it's not a huge deal breaker.

[deaddoof]

Originally posted by RedBaronK™:

Yep i am definitely new to Linux.... to me at least, it was a huge transition from windows. So far i like it, it seems less bloatware filled and ideal for gaming purposes... just some of the things are baffling like having numbers for folder names, forcing me to use Proton Tricks to figure out which folder is what... but it's not a huge deal breaker.

The short 3 to 4 letter file names are understandable because of historic size limits.

The dot file names is one of the original a feature not a bug. Baffling.

http://xahlee.info/UnixResource_dir/writ/unix_origin_of_dot_filename.html

http://plus.google.com/101960720994009339267/posts/R58WgWwN9jp

The problem is that if you throw a random feature to the community. They will implement into many random ways which breaks each other. This community problem has always existed and its being repeated here too. Sigh......