-remove will leave configuration files for the package on your system. A configuration file is defined as any file you might have edited in order to customize the program for your system or your preferences. This way, if you later reinstall the package, you won’t have to set everything up a second time.
However, you might want to erase the configuration files too, so dpkg also provides a -purge option. dpkg -purge icewm will permanently delete every last file associated with the icewm package.
12.3 dselect
dselect is a great front-end for dpkg. dselect provides a menu interface for dpkg, and can automatically fetch the appropriate files from a CD-ROM or Internet FTP site. For details on using dselect, see section 3.20 on page [*].
12.4 Compiling Software
Many programs come in source format, often in tar.gz form. First, you must unpack the tar.gz file; for details on doing this, see section 10.3.1 on page [*]. Before you can compile the package, you’ll need to have gcc, libc6-dev, and other relevant “-dev” packages installed; most of these are listed in the devel area in dselect.
With the appropriate packages installed, cd into the directory that tar created for you. At this point, you’ll need to read the installation instructions. Most programs provide an INSTALL or README file that will tell you how to proceed.
13. Advanced Topics
By now, you should have a strong base for which to build your GNU/Linux skills on. In this chapter we cover some very useful information regarding some advanced GNU/Linux features.