Bug#2486: Ghost packages

[Rob Leslie <rob@mars.org>]

Package: dpkg
Version: 1.1.0

I can't figure out what's wrong:

  deimos:debian/unstable/binary:[79]# dpkg --install devel/xwpe-1.4.1-1.deb
  Selecting previously deselected package xwpe.
  (Reading database ... 19147 files and directories currently installed.)
  Unpacking xwpe (from devel/xwpe-1.4.1-1.deb) ...
  dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of xwpe:
   xwpe depends on ncurses-runtime (>=1.8.6); however:
    Package ncurses-runtime is not installed.
  dpkg: error processing xwpe (--install):
   dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
  Errors were encountered while processing:
   xwpe
  zsh: 11506 exit 1     dpkg --install devel/xwpe-1.4.1-1.deb

However, ncurses-runtime *is* provided:

  deimos:debian/unstable/binary:[80]# dpkg --status ncurses-base
  Package: ncurses-base
  Status: install ok installed
  Priority: required
  Section: base
  Maintainer: Michael Alan Dorman <mdorman@lot49.med.miami.edu>
  Version: 1.9.8a-4
  Provides: ncurses-runtime
  Conflicts: ncurses, ncurses-runtime
  Description: Video terminal manipulation: Minimum set of terminals

Here is perhaps a clue. dpkg thinks ncurses-runtime exists as a separate
package which it probably did at one time, but was purged:

deimos:debian/unstable/binary:[82]# dpkg --list 'ncurse*'
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge
| Status=Not/Installed/Config-files/Unpacked/Failed-config/Half-installed
|/ Err?=(none)/Hold/Reinst-required/X=both-problems (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name         Version   Rev  Description
+++-============-=========-====-===============================================
un  ncurses                     (no description available)
ii  ncurses-base    1.9.8a 4    Video terminal manipulation: Minimum set of ter
ii  ncurses-bin     1.9.8a 4    Video terminal manipulation: associated program
un  ncurses-dev                 (no description available)
pn  ncurses-deve                (no description available)
pn  ncurses-runt                (no description available)
in  ncurses-term                (no description available)
un  ncurses21-de                (no description available)
ii  ncurses3.0      1.9.8a 4    Video terminal manipulation: shared libraries
ii  ncurses3.0-d    1.9.8a 4    Video terminal manipulation: Developer's librar

So how does one make dpkg forget about packages that no longer exist? Or, why
shouldn't dpkg allow the ncurses-runtime provided by ncurses-base satisfy the
dependency?

Thanks.

--
Robert Leslie
rob@mars.org