Carlos E. R. composed on 2017-02-27 02:03 (UTC+0100):
you have to be aware of what zypper does, in order to use it reliably. There's a limit to the amount of awareness required of a mere mortal user.
Zypper will complain of errors with applications, regardless of you "only" using packages. The very reason for the OP!
And you must learn what to do. One need not know everything about what makes a tool work in order to use itproductively. Cars, vacuum cleaners, web browsers, and package managers vary inneed to know, not just by characteristics of tool, but also characteristics of user.
How does it get decided which package(s) comprise(s) an "application"?
Packagers do.
That's who, not how. Maybe missing or defective instructions as to how is why these messages exist, causing threads like $SUBJECT to occur.
Is Xorg an application? GDM? The kernel? A video driver? Mesa? KMix? Systemsettings5? Systemd? vlc-noX?
???
As long as Zypper, like Aptitude and DNF, is considered a package management system rather than an application management system[1], it makes better sense to me to say it works with packages without any arbitrary additional characterization.
It is both.
Keyword: "say". Ultimately whatever comprises an "application" is only available to any normal user after the package management system has installed whatever packages comprise it and whatever it/they depend(s) on. I want some details, case in point, google-carlito-fonts: https://lists.opensuse.org/opensuse/2017-02/msg00817.html Installing an "application" shouldn't depend on a particular separate font package whose contents I never want to see or use. Same goes for Plasma requiring kde-oxygen-fonts when I already have more than enough fonts I do like already installed. Without details I would only some time after the fact discover what caused me to no longer see fonts I selected and expected being used. Zypper's been working well for me for the entirety of its existence. These "application" installation and removal messages only started appearing in zypper transactions the past year or two, or at least, I don't remember seeing them longer ago in my many years of use. -- "The wise are known for their understanding, and pleasant words are persuasive." Proverbs 16:21 (New Living Translation) Team OS/2 ** Reg. Linux User #211409 ** a11y rocks! Felix Miata *** http://fm.no-ip.com/ -- To unsubscribe, e-mail: opensuse-factory+unsubscribe@opensuse.org To contact the owner, e-mail: opensuse-factory+owner@opensuse.org