Re: acroread --why can't package be installed?

[Brian Servis <servis@purdue.edu>]

*- On 15 Jun, Barry Kauler wrote about "acroread --why can't package be installed?"
> When I type
> # dpkg --list acroread
> The package lists with the letters "pn" at the start of the line.
> Such packages will not install, and there is an error message
> "no installation candidate" when I try to install it.
> 
> Why, oh why is this?
> I don't have acroread currently installed, and there it is as a
> package, so why can't I install it?
> 

acroread is in the non-free section of the archives.  Do you have the
non-free section specified as a section to search for packages?

> What does "pn" actually mean?

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        Description
+++-===============-==============-============================================
pn  gv              <none>         (no description available)

Follow the vertical lines.
p:  Purged(a.k.a. you don't want to try and installed(i.e. it is not
           select for install in dselect), not even config configs)
n:  Not Installed(a.k.a. it is not currently installed)

-- 
Brian 
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Mechanical Engineering                              servis@purdue.edu
Purdue University                   http://www.ecn.purdue.edu/~servis
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