p wrote:
i just tried to install "nagios-common" and it removed a lot of my good programs--gimp, xine, mplayer.... that doesn't even begin to scratchthe surface. (i'm still trying to access the totality of what it removed.) from what's left,i may have to rebuild the box. (mplayer won't even install now.) why would a "network monitoring tool" need to decimate a system? it jacked me up! i was running sid.
When you run commands read the output before typing "y" and hitting enter. apt-get install or the synaptic GUI, or aptitudewill warn you about what packages it will add/remove/upgrade when you ask them to install a new package.
You are running "sid" the name sid comes from the movie "Toy-Story" Sid was the kid next door who broke all the toys. Sid has all the latest and greatest packages, but it is unstable. Package incompatabilities exist, and because of that you need to be carefull when installing things.
Probably you tried to install a version of "nagios" that had dependencies for a package that was incompatable with some package that you already had installed on your box. The install method (apt, synaptic, aptitude ...) that you used probably warned you about what it would need to add/remove/upgrade/install in order to fulfill your request, but you didn't read the warning, instead you just hit "y, enter" The package that was incompatible with some nagios dependency was probably a pre-requisite for a whole bunch of other packages. Which your package tool dutifully removed because you told it to do so.
Having an OS that does what you tell it to and lets you configure it your way is incompatible with having an OS that holds your hand and keeps you from messing things up.
-Ben.