# apt-fail



## Carpetsmoker (Mar 22, 2014)

I present this to you, without any comment, since I am truly at a loss of words...



```
[/opt/GuitarPro6]# apt-get install consolekit:i386                                                         martin-xps:22:15

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree
Reading state information... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
  libck-connector0:i386 libdbus-glib-1-2:i386 libpam-ck-connector:i386 libpam0g:i386 libpolkit-gobject-1-0:i386 synaptic
  update-manager update-manager-core
Suggested packages:
  libpam-doc:i386 dwww deborphan
Recommended packages:
  rarian-compat
The following packages will be REMOVED
  acpi-support aptdaemon apturl colord consolekit dell-recovery gnome-bluetooth gnome-control-center gnome-power-manager
  gnome-system-log gnome-user-share hplip indicator-datetime indicator-power indicator-sound jockey-common jockey-gtk
  landscape-client-ui-install language-selector-gnome libcanberra-pulse libck-connector0 libnm-gtk0 libpam-ck-connector
  nautilus-share network-manager-gnome policykit-1 policykit-1-gnome printer-driver-postscript-hp pulseaudio
  pulseaudio-module-bluetooth pulseaudio-module-gconf pulseaudio-module-x11 python-aptdaemon python-aptdaemon.gtk3widgets
  python-aptdaemon.pkcompat sessioninstaller software-center software-properties-gtk ubuntu-system-service
  ubuntuone-control-panel-common ubuntuone-control-panel-qt ubuntuone-installer xul-ext-ubufox
The following NEW packages will be installed
  consolekit:i386 libck-connector0:i386 libdbus-glib-1-2:i386 libpam-ck-connector:i386 libpam0g:i386
  libpolkit-gobject-1-0:i386 synaptic
The following packages will be upgraded:
  update-manager update-manager-core
2 to upgrade, 7 to newly install, 43 to remove and 15 not to upgrade.
Need to get 3,450 kB/3,523 kB of archives.
After this operation, 23.2 MB disk space will be freed.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?
```


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## wblock@ (Mar 22, 2014)

Awesome, 23M of disk space back!  No doubt all those packages have been moved into systemd.


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## scottro (Mar 22, 2014)

Like ports, apt can pull in or remove some things that shouldn't be included.  With apt, there are ways to limit its affecting other packages--I'm not sure of the exact syntax, but there's a way to tell it to not install suggested.  
http://askubuntu.com/questions/179060/h ... d-packages

I'm guessing this is a 64 bit system.  I have known apt to do some odd things when installing something that requires 32 bit packages,such as skype.  As I only use Debian or Ubuntu based distributions on occasion, not sure what the workarounds are, though I imagine they exist.  

I'm guessing--again, only a guess--that this has something to do with some packages conflicting with 32 and 64 bit libs, but that's just going by vague memory about installing skype on a 64 bit Debian, or maybe Lubuntu (Ubuntu with LXDE desktop) install.


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## hitest (Mar 23, 2014)

I have Debian 7.4 running in Virtualbox.  You could try the command apt-get upgrade as I think that will upgrade stuff without removing packages.  As a rule I don't like dependency resolving package managers.  I also prefer PKGng over Ports in FreeBSD.


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## phoenix (Mar 24, 2014)

Well, then you're going to hate pkg in a couple of weeks when 1.3 is released with the new dependency resolution solver integrated into it.


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## Carpetsmoker (Mar 24, 2014)

phoenix said:
			
		

> Well, then you're going to hate pkg in a couple of weeks when 1.3 is released with the new dependency resolution solver integrated into it.



I'm not quite sure what that would entail, but I already dislike pkg-ng now. pkg-ng is yet another proof that a complete rewrite is almost always a bad idea.
But if it's anything like this apt-crap I think I might make a replacement pkg binary which works much closer to a sane system (meaning, where I'm in control), which shouldn't be that hard because, in essence, it all needs to do is install and remove files, actually, something like that already exists, in the form of pkg_{install,info,remove,...}...




			
				scottro said:
			
		

> I'm guessing--again, only a guess--that this has something to do with some packages conflicting with 32 and 64 bit libs



Perhaps .. I don't know, I, for one think that *removing* packages when requesting an *install* is completely bonkers. And it's not just removing libobscure, it's removing acpi support, pulseaudio, large parts of the ubuntu interface, etc. BONKERS!
It's also not at all easy to spot, because apt-get has the wisdom to clutter the outputs with:
- Useless debug infomation
- Recommended packages. From the Debian sponsors (?)
- Suggested packages?It seems that as a non-native English speaker I've always used either the word `recommended' or `suggested' in a wrong way, because I thought they meant the same thing! How silly of me.
- The list of to-be-installed packages. Twice, of course. You might miss it.
- If you're really lucky, also a list of packages apt-get deems unnecessary, which will further clutter up the output even more. Showing this list on every apt-get invocation you do is very logical, because you might miss it.

Oh, and I solved the problem by install ia32-libs. Which *didn't* remove any packages. Go figure.


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## scottro (Mar 24, 2014)

The ia32-libs, I seem to remember, seems to be the recommended solution, but again, I don't use it too often.  As for suggested and recommended, in this context, it can make sense that there's a slight difference--recommended being along the lines of you almost certainly should use, and suggested along the lines of you might enjoy adding this...

Note that this difference is based on context, and wouldn't be correct in every situation.  (And, I'm just guessing at Debian's terminology.)   BTW, if I didn't know you, I don't think I would  realize that you weren't a native speaker, at least going by your postings in the many years I've known you.    (Hmph, is BTW considered one of those acronyms that are not supposed to be used here?  Well, if so, I apologize, but Martin and I have known each other through the Internet for---oh my, it has to be at least 7 years, at a minimum.)


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## hitest (Mar 27, 2014)

phoenix said:
			
		

> Well, then you're going to hate pkg in a couple of weeks when 1.3 is released with the new dependency resolution solver integrated into it.



Heh-heh.  Ouch.  :e


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## Carpetsmoker (Mar 30, 2014)

```
[/etc/alternatives]# apt-get remove compiz-gnome 

Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
The following extra packages will be installed:
  compiz-kde compizconfig-backend-kconfig kdelibs5-data libattica0.3 libdlrestrictions1 libkdecore5 libkdeui5
Suggested packages:
  hspell
The following packages will be REMOVED
  compiz compiz-gnome unity
The following NEW packages will be installed
  compiz-kde compizconfig-backend-kconfig kdelibs5-data libattica0.3 libdlrestrictions1 libkdecore5 libkdeui5
0 to upgrade, 7 to newly install, 3 to remove and 0 not to upgrade.
Need to get 5,375 kB of archives.
After this operation, 11.7 MB of additional disk space will be used.
Do you want to continue [Y/n]?
```

At first I was frustrated & angry. Now I understand apt-get is really just a Monty Python-ish absurd sketch.

1. Surprise - Every invocation is a new surprise!
2. Fear - I am afraid to use it, who know what it's going to do.
3. Ruthless efficiency - Fucks up your system with amazing speed!
4. Almost fanatical devotion to the pope - I can't thing of anything witty for this one.
5. Nice red uniforms - I was wondering why I got a piece of red cloth with my laptop; now I know!


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## hitest (Mar 30, 2014)

Carpetsmoker said:
			
		

> At first I was frustrated & angry. Now I understand apt-get is really just a Monty Python-ish absurd sketch.
> 
> 1. Surprise - Every invocation is a new surprise!
> 2. Fear - I am afraid to use it, who know what it's going to do.
> ...



Dude.  You are running Ubuntu.  If you want a good experience with apt-get or aptitude run Debian.  Debian is the source of all debian-based distros and is the best.  Ubuntu is not a sterling example of the best of Linux.


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## protocelt (Mar 30, 2014)

Carpetsmoker said:
			
		

> ```
> [/etc/alternatives]# apt-get remove compiz-gnome
> 
> Reading package lists... Done
> ...



Although your probably already aware, if you want better control of packages with no automatic dependency resolution, it's better to use dpkg instead of apt-get from my understanding. Also I think compiz is required by Unity hence the stupid "smart" replacements by apt-get which you probably figured out by now also.


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