Re: Bug#29920: Wish for more verbosity on "has no installation candidate"

[Jason Gunthorpe <jgg@ualberta.ca>]

On Mon, 23 Nov 1998, Avery Pennarun wrote:

> I just thought of something that would make my life easier, however.  When a
> package is not found, I get a message like this:
> 
>   /home/apenwarr # apt-get -s install foo
>   Updating package status cache...done
>   Checking system integrity...ok
>   E: Couldn't find package foo
> 
> That's as expected.  Now, sometimes when a package doesn't exist, I get a
> message like this:

Hmm..

Wakko{jgg}~/work/apt/build/bin#./apt-get install foo
Reading Package Lists... Done
Building Dependency Tree... Done
E: Couldn't find package foo

>   ~ # apt-get -s install timezone
>   Updating package status cache...done
>   Checking system integrity...ok
>   E: Package timezone has no installation candidate

Wakko{jgg}~/work/apt/build/bin#./apt-get install timezone 
Reading Package Lists... Done
Building Dependency Tree... Done
Package timezone has no available version, but exists in the database.
This typically means that the package was mentioned in a dependency and 
never uploaded, or that it is an obsolete package.
However the following packages replace it;
  timezones 
E: Package timezone has no installation candidate
 
> Similarly for Provides: packages.  For example, "apt-get install netscape"
> isn't specific enough, but it would be great if apt-get would offer me some
> suggestions on what to install instead.  There are a bunch of packages that
> Provide: netscape.

Wakko{jgg}~/work/apt/build/bin#./apt-get install netscape
Reading Package Lists... Done
Building Dependency Tree... Done
Package netscape is a virtual package provided by:
  navigator-smotif-45 4.5-1
  navigator-smotif-45 4.5-1 [Installed]
  navigator-smotif-407 4.07-1
  navigator-smotif-406 4.06-2
  navigator-dmotif-45 4.5-1
  navigator-dmotif-407 4.07-1
  navigator-dmotif-406 4.06-2
  communicator-smotif-45 4.5-1
  communicator-smotif-407 4.07-1
  communicator-smotif-406 4.06-2
  communicator-dmotif-45 4.5-1
  communicator-dmotif-407 4.07-1
  communicator-dmotif-406 4.06-2
  netscape4 4.0-14
  netscape3 3.04-5
You should explicly select one to install.
E: Package netscape has no installation candidate

[Why do you suppose it shows multiple copies of the same thing? That's
weird]

It's all fixed in APT v3 (soon to hit experimental)

Jason