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

[Ed Cogburn <ecogburn@greene.xtn.net>]

Brian Servis wrote:
> 
> *- 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)


	Just for the record, I don't think 'purged' should be explained
as above.  AFAIK, 'purged' simply means that, in addition to
removing the package, the config scripts for the package are
removed from /var/lib/dpkg/info.
	Frankly, I've always wondered why 'purged' isn't the default
action of dpkg.


-- 
Ed C.