I was experimenting with a custom minimal install.
[ALL installs are from purchased DVDs as I have minimal
connectivity.]
I installed Jessie (8.0.0) using expert mode on a machine set
aside for experiments.
I explicitly chose no desktop environment. The install proceeded
normally.
From the Description in Packages.gz,
mate-desktop-environment-core appeared to be appropriate for my
needs.
As root I attempted to do
apt-get install mate-desktop-environment-core
It began normally but terminated with a file not found message
before coming to the confirm installation step.
To narrow down the problem source(s) I attempted to install a
different program. It proceeded normally to the confirm install
question.
Suspecting a damaged/defective DVD I then attempted a fresh
install to the same partition. This time I chose the lxde
desktop. Installation proceeded to a fully functioning install.
I then used Synaptic to install mate-desktop-environment-core.
It apparently completed normally. [I've not researched what I
have to do to switch desktops.]
How can I diagnose what went wrong when I attempted "apt-get
install"?
TIA