<HTML><BODY style="word-wrap: break-word; -khtml-nbsp-mode: space; -khtml-line-break: after-white-space; "><BR><DIV><BLOCKQUOTE type="cite"><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; "><SPAN class="Apple-style-span"><FONT class="Apple-style-span" color="#000000">...</FONT> dependencies and at the very bottom something like this:</SPAN></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Transaction Summary</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">===========================================</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Install<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>0 Package(s)</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Update <SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>0 Package(s)</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Remove <SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN>484 Package(s)</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">Is this ok [y/N]:<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">If you read what those package were, it would be painfully obvious that the<SPAN class="Apple-converted-space"> </SPAN></DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; ">sane answer here would be 'n'.</DIV><DIV style="margin-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; min-height: 14px; "><BR></DIV></BLOCKQUOTE><DIV> </DIV></DIV><DIV>It is often true unfortunately that the most obvious things require the most careful review. This situation is no different. Continuing with the example you stated, yum does list all the packages to be removed before it gets to this point, however this also demonstrates my original difficulty with yum and challenge to how yum is used in this particular form. Even if I (as a user) cared to cross-check and examine which package is which and what it does before I answer yes or no, I could not do so using yum as you invoked it because all that information scrolls off the terminal's screen (stdout) and is lost. Instead a better procedure or strategy is to split yum's output stream to an external file for later review so that accidental removal is could be potentially avoided by the user - if s/he takes the time to examine the generated file. Also in any situation regarding using yum to remove anything, if one follows my suggestion I'd also recommend that the initial answer to yum's question be No thereby allowing the user to peruse the output file more carefully. After having done so, then the user being better informed can further pare down which packages are removed reducing the risk of damaging his/her system.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I'd really think this adjustment or recommendation should be posted somewhere on the official pages addressing yum because this solution is not an obvious one. Here's the approach I'd recommend:</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>yum remove openssl > filename </DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>In closing one more point, as good as yum is and has been, like other unix/linux tools - even if it was incorporated into a system wide intelligent guiding avatar at some point in the future (say YDL 740.2?) human oversight of what and why it is engaging in any task will always be required. It is always a strong regimen to recommend to users and in Linux every user is another system administrator in development whether s/he wishes it or no - it's the nature of what Linux is great power with flexibility. By the way, my own experience with Unix goes back to the 70's - it's really our good fortune that Linux and YDL in particular allows for the usage of these tried and true simple strategies. I'm a great believer in documenting the documents and can seek to overcompensate sometimes explaining too much but my concern especially in the example we are discussing is justified.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>I hope my suggestion appears somewhere in the yum pages and not merely in my personal notes.</DIV><DIV><BR class="khtml-block-placeholder"></DIV><DIV>All the best...</DIV></BODY></HTML>