what is dpkg-new

[Sam Rosenfeld <sam@wdn.com>]

I am trying to fix a problem which yields an error when XF86_SVGA is run.  The error message reads as follows: Fatal server error:
could not open default font 'fixed'.   My sense is that I've got to run "update-fonts-alias" take the data from a file called xfonts-base.alias.dpkg-new and, by some hocus-pocus, replace the contents of /usr/X11R6/lib/X11/fonts/misc/.
But the update-fonts.alias manpage is very cryptic about how this all gets done, and, in fact, how I deal with that dpkg-new file.
I would sure appreciate some help.

Thanks,

sam