Bug#26880: dpkg: Creating XF86Config during install freezes VT
Package: dpkg
Version: 1.4.0.23.2
Severity: important
Don't know if this is dpkg, or xbase or what, but I had to put
something for the above fields =:¬)
The situation is a fresh (ie., not an upgrade, though 2.0 is not
alone on the disk) install of Deb 2.0. The problem is that when dselect,
during the package installation phase, prompts for the creation of
XF86Config, if one says `yes', then one immediately gets an error and
another prompt for the creation of XF86Config. At this point, output to the
screen is stepped (ie., LF but no CR) and input from the keyboard is frozen.
this is what it looks like:
Do you want to create the XFree86 config file ? (y/n) [y] _y_
The /etc/X11/XF86Config file was not created.
Do you want to crea
te the XFree86 config file ? (y/n) [y]
If one now enters an answer, nothing appears on the screen, and nothing
happens when one presses [enter].
I can go to another VT, do a `ps -ax' and see the postinst script
for one of the X servers. If I `kill -KILL pid' this process and return to
the first VT, I see that things are moving along again, but in the stepped
fashion mentioned above:
Setting up blah ...
Sett
ing up some_other_package ...
Creating some_file ...
Setting u
p geek_freek_package ...
Setting up nerd_plays_game ...
This continues until the next prompt (could be another X server wanting to
make the XFree86 config file, xfig asking if it should use inches or cm,
colour or mono, etc). Again, no input can be sent from the keyboard. One
has to change VT's, look for the process ID and kill it.
This quickly becomes tedious. I then kill dselect. At this point,
the installation routine thinks everything is done. I get the `Have fun !'
message as if dselect had terminated normally. The VT is still frozen.
Nothing appears from the keyboard. Typing `reset' recovers the keyboard.
If I then invoke dselect and choose [C]onfigure, I can choose to
creat the XFree86 file and everything works fine from then on in. If I say
no when asked to create the XFree file during the initial install, I never
encounter this problem, and the installation terminates normally.
This is very annoying and I am sure would be fatal to beginner to
Linux. I think this may be hardware specific or something as friend
installed Deb 2.0 on his machine with the same installation CD and never had
this problem when asked to make the XFree86 file.
As you can see, I am not an expert myself, and have likely left out
some important piece of information. If you need some other details,
please contact me, and I will do my best to get the info you need.
G.C.
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