Bug#169241: apt: can't remove mawk even with gawk installed

[Daniel Schepler <schepler@math.berkeley.edu>]

Package: apt
Version: 0.5.4
Severity: normal

Junichi Uekawa <dancer@netfort.gr.jp> writes:

> At 15 Nov 2002 06:16:38 -0800,
> Daniel Schepler wrote:
> 
> > Package: pbuilder
> > Version: 0.48
> > Severity: normal
> > 
> > This error happens trying to use pbuilder to build gcc-3.0:
> > 
> 
> 
> Ermm... is this really a good idea to go around randomly removing 
> essential packages from build machines through specifying
> Build-Conflicts ?
> 
> Can't gcc try to specify "gawk" instead of "awk" ?

Actually, investigating the situation a bit more, there appears to be
a bug in apt.  base-files depends only on awk; although gawk is also
installed earlier, apt doesn't seem to realize that awk is provided by
gawk as well as mawk so that it's ok to remove mawk.
-- 
Daniel Schepler              "Please don't disillusion me.  I
schepler@math.berkeley.edu    haven't had breakfast yet."
                                 -- Orson Scott Card