When uninstalling Postfix it does not remove files in /etc nor in /var/lib/postfix. This creates a problem if one wants to reinstall, and get the new and updated configure files. a new emerge doesn't even create a ._cfg0001_main.cf (or master.cf) - so one does not have the possibility to see the new files - but must rename the old dir - to get the new files. Also /var/lib/postfix has the same problem. Same goes for apache, and postgresql I have verified.
if you touch a file in any way, unmerging it will not remove those files ... maybe some kind of option (--nuke or something) so that the user can have the pkg *completely* removed from their system ... sometimes i want this done ...
a --nuke wouldn't be bad. f.ex. also, if one is having kde problems - it can often help to REALLY uninstall old versions - and then install the new one from scratch. Also it would be cool, if portage could store the md5sum of files, and ctime - and if these hasn't changed (or atleast the md5sum hasn't) - it can safely overwrite them when upgrading - and safely remove them if uninstalling. And if they have changed, it should rename them to .old or .backup or .unmerged - as they no longer belong on the system IMHO. This is also what rpm does actually - and it could be a very nice feature. Ofcourse, if portage were to store md5sum and ctime (+ other properties of the package's files?) we would also have a built in File IDS - just as RPM has - and we could add cool features, as signing of the portage database, so it had built in Tripwire equivalent security features. A great step up IMHO.
md5sums and ctimes are already stored, thats how portage determines whether to leave a file
*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 8423 ***
