It's slow because it loads the entire depcache, and checks all dependencies. This can be avoided by refactoring the code, but it seems unnecessary. I'd rather add useful features like telling you which packages become autoremovable garbage after marking something, rather than refactoring the code to not require a depcache.
-- You received this bug notification because you are a member of Ubuntu Touch seeded packages, which is subscribed to apt in Ubuntu. https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1713219 Title: 'apt-mark showauto' and 'apt show' is slow Status in apt package in Ubuntu: Triaged Bug description: $ time apt-mark showauto >/dev/null real 0m0.587s user 0m0.552s sys 0m0.016s When I run the command first time, it is even much slower. I could do the job in fraction of a time using awk in POSIX shell script: auto_file='/var/lib/apt/extended_states' eval $(apt-config shell auto_file Dir::State::extended_states/f) awk '/^Package:/ { pkg=$2 getline; arch=$2 getline if($2==1) print pkg ":" arch }' "$auto_file" | CL_ALL=C sort -u real 0m0.019s user 0m0.008s sys 0m0.000s That prints architecture for every package and shows entries in slightly different order, though. And the file could be out of date showing packages that are not installed?!? Similarly apt show <pkg> is slow. (It also shows whether a package is manually or automatically installed. ProblemType: Bug DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.04 Package: apt 1.0.1ubuntu2.17 ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 4.4.0-92.115~14.04.1-generic 4.4.76 Uname: Linux 4.4.0-92-generic x86_64 ApportVersion: 2.14.1-0ubuntu3.25 Architecture: amd64 CurrentDesktop: XFCE Date: Sat Aug 26 12:59:00 2017 EcryptfsInUse: Yes InstallationDate: Installed on 2014-09-21 (1070 days ago) InstallationMedia: Ubuntu-Studio 14.04.1 LTS "Trusty Tahr" - Release amd64 (20140722.1) SourcePackage: apt UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install) modified.conffile..etc.cron.daily.apt: [modified] modified.conffile..etc.kernel.postinst.d.apt.auto.removal: [modified] mtime.conffile..etc.cron.daily.apt: 2017-05-03T10:27:27.617839 mtime.conffile..etc.kernel.postinst.d.apt.auto.removal: 2017-06-01T14:39:39.236080 To manage notifications about this bug go to: https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/apt/+bug/1713219/+subscriptions -- Mailing list: https://launchpad.net/~touch-packages Post to : touch-packages@lists.launchpad.net Unsubscribe : https://launchpad.net/~touch-packages More help : https://help.launchpad.net/ListHelp
