Re: installation of a package requests removal of a lot of packages
Gena Batyan wrote:
> antgel wrote:
>
>> Gena Batyan wrote:
>>
>>> Hello!
>>>
>>> I'm using unstable and I have encountered a strange situation a few
>>> times.
>>>
>>> When trying to install a package using apt-get, it says among other
>>> things 'following packages will be REMOVED: ...' and this list is HUGE!
>>>
>>> I'll give an example. I'm trying to install gaim, which depends on the
>>> package libaspell15c2
>>>
>>> What in the name of god is going on here??? How can a package request
>>> deinstallation of almost a complete system, most of the packages
>>> scheduled for removal have NOTHING to do with the library.
>>>
>>> below I include what apt-get shows me when trying to install this
>>> library.
>>
>>
>>
>> Firstly, you should use aptitude instead of apt-get, which is not a
>> proper package manager. This has been pointed out numerous times over
>> the years, and perhaps it should be more apparent in the Debian docs.
>
>
> I am actually a newbie.
Well, rule 1 is reply to the list. :)
> I thought that apt-get is the backend for all package
> installation/update and the rest, aptitude, etc is just visual sugar
> around it. If I am wrong I'd be very glad to know it!
>
> What is aptitude able to do better than apt-get?
Read the archives of this list. Read the aptitude documentation.
Debian stores package documentation in /usr/share/doc/<package name>.
Aptitude can be used from the command line, just like apt-get i.e.
aptitude install xchat.
>> Secondly, if you are using unstable, you should know how to deal with
>> this stuff.
>
> I Should, but I don't :) I simply never had problems before.
Understood.
>> Thirdly, can you post /etc/apt/sources.list?
>
> deb http://ftp.at.debian.org/debian/ unstable main non-free contrib
> deb http://ftp.debian.org/debian/ unstable main non-free contrib
Okay, nothing weird there. Often people complain about these things and
have one or more unofficial repositories there.
I would install aptitude, do an aptitude update then try again.
If aptitude doesn't handle the dependencies better as an apt-get
replacement, you can run it interactively, tell it to upgrade (g), then
take a look at the packages that are being removed. The conflicts
should be viewable in the lower pane.
Antony
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