Re: Directories left on upgrade, files not removed on upgrade?

[Goswin von Brederlow <goswin-v-b@web.de>]

Paul Gevers <paul@climbing.nl> writes:

>> Preparing to replace docbook-xsl-doc-html 1.73.2.dfsg.1-5 (using docbook-xsl-doc-html_1.74.2-1_all.deb) ...
>> Unpacking replacement docbook-xsl-doc-html ...
>> dpkg: warning - unable to delete old directory `/usr/share/doc/docbook-xsl/doc/slides': Directory not empty
>> dpkg: warning - unable to delete old directory `/usr/share/doc/docbook-xsl/doc/lib': Directory not empty
>> dpkg: warning - unable to delete old directory `/usr/share/doc/docbook-xsl/doc/utility': Directory not empty
>> [..]
>> 
>> and everything in /usr/share/doc/docbook-xsl/doc/ is left. I (always)
>> thought, the upgrade process includes to remove the old package (its
>> directories and files)? Isn't it? So why does this fail? I tried to find
>> some more information about the upgrade process, but I just found a few
>> notes in dpkg(1) and of course section 6 of the policy.
>
> IIRC this usually means that the directories contain files which are not
> installed/controlled by dpkg. So, did you change files manually in those
> directories?
>
> Paul

Alternatively you had an old system (sarge or older) and updated it a
few times. The old dpkg had a bug where it would drop directories from
packages file list and then erroneously think nobody owns the
directory and try to delete it.

MfG
        Goswin