Tidy up your Linux installation with FSlint

by Todd Ritter Dec 26th 2007

We all eventually accumulate "lint" on our computers whether it's in the form of empty directories, duplicate files, or temporary files. FSlint (Linux only) serves as a virtual lint trap that lets you remove specific types of lint to keep our Linux installation humming along. To use FSlint, simply add the directories you wish to search (/home, /usr, etc.), select the type of lint for which you're searching, and click "Find." FSlint will return its results showing file size and paths for your particular search.

From within the search results window you can select files and delete them, or you can save them to a different location (good for backing up files before you "accidentally" remove your xorg.conf file). FSlint also will find bad symlinks, name clashes, bad names (e.g. invalid characters in file names), and installed packages. Distribution-specific installation instructions are available on the FSlint website, but for the Ubuntu readers, simply type sudo apt-get install fslint from your Terminal prompt.

If you're looking for a good Windows program that serves a similar purpose, you might want to check out CCleaner. Anyone got a good lint trap for Mac? Let us know in the comments.

[Via Hackosis]

Tags: clean up, CleanUp, duplicate files, DuplicateFiles, linux, ubuntu

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