Or to put the question differently; what is the point of a persistent APT cache that seemingly doesn't get rid of downloaded packages immediately after install? Does anyone even know what is the eviction policy, is there one?
I find on internet all kinds of articles on Ubuntu maintenance how-to's involving the apt-cache clean command and there's also questions asked on this site how to disable the cache or automagically clean it - which may be very useful, sure, but I first need to figure out why files are left sitting around in the cache and what the default eviction policy is.
I as a human - when I install new software, I download install files somewhere, but after install I delete them. I see no point at all just leaving crap behind forever and ever, and I certainly don't have the need to reinstall the same software over and over again. In fact, re-installs are like extremely rare, right? So, this is what I just can't for the life of me understand, why do Ubuntu act different from what I am pretty sure is the human behavior of most of us?
Edit: This question doesn't ask about the eviction policy and the accepted answer quickly spirals into a tutorial on package management, briefly answering my question simply with the files are there "in case they're needed for future use". This last part is exactly what I am asking about. WHAT future use? And, what is the default eviction policy? Lots of IT admin articles out there suggest a "regular cleaning", I am pretty mind-struck why I have to do this myself.
Edit 2: I know why files were put in the cache folder. I am asking WHY ARE THEY LEFT IN THERE and what is the eviction policy? Seriously, stop voting this as a duplicate. You're not helping the community.
