Re: dselect not respecting holds ?
On Sun, Nov 07, 2004 at 10:05:44PM -0800, James Kirk wrote:
> The dselect's online help states, when describing key
> usage, the H or = will hold a package in its present
> state, and when describing the meaning of the symbols
> used in the 4 state columns that = denotes the package
> is on hold, and will not be processed at all.
>
> I don't want texi2html or mctools-lite, and therefore
> don't need cddb, either. So, I marked these 3 as yet
> uninstalled packages hold (=) thinking that dselect,
> wanting normally to install these recommendations
> would instead hold them in their uninstalled state.
Like I wrote in another mail I think dselect thinks packages marked as
on hold are in some form present on the system. And these on hold
packages might have an old version, incompatible with your updated
packages. So it keeps asking you to update those recommendations and
suggestions. At any rate dselect doesn't like the current status of
those packages and dselect is generally right.
The correct way to keep a package in its current uninstalled form is
*not* to put in on hold. The first time dselect presents you with a
recommended or suggested package that you don't want, simply decline
to install it. Next time dselect should not ask that question again.
In your case you have already marked the unwanted packages as on hold,
which obviously isn't working. So next time you get that screen, mark
them `uninstall' with `-' or probably better as `purge' with `_' to
also remove any config files that may somehow be present.
If that still doesn't work mail us the outcome of the following
command (root or normal user doesn't matter):
dpkg -l tetex-bin texi2html gramofile mctools-lite cddb
Here is the result on my system. I obviously made some other choices
on which packages I want, so your outcome should be quite different.
Ignore the Dutch language.
Gewenst=(U)Onbekend/Installeren/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Niet/geInstalleerd/Config/Uitgepakt/(F)config-mislukt/Half-geinst
|/ Fout?=(geen)/Hold/Reinst nodig/X=beide (Status,Fout: hoofdlett=ernstig)
||/ Naam Versie Omschrijving
+++-==============-==============-============================================
ii tetex-bin 2.0.2-22 The teTeX binary files
ii texi2html 1.66-1.2 Convert Texinfo files to HTML
pn gramofile <geen> (geen beschrijving beschikbaar)
pn mctools-lite <geen> (geen beschrijving beschikbaar)
ii cddb 2.6-17 CD DataBase support tools
--
Maurits van Rees | http://maurits.vanrees.org/ [Dutch/Nederlands]
"Let your advance worrying become advance thinking and planning."
- Winston Churchill
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