Bug#233681: apt: Obscure error message when used on a non-Debian system
Package: apt
Version: 0.5.21
Severity: minor
When compiling apt-get on a RedHat system, I got the
error message:
E: Unable to determine a suitable system type
which didn't enlighten me in the least.
As it turns out, that error happens when it cannot prove
that the system is Debian (i.e. /etc/debian_version and
/var/lib/dpkg/status and /usr/bin/dpkg are all missing)
(code in .../deb/debsystem.cc).
The message should be, perhaps,
E: Unable do determine what type of distribution you have (e.g. Debian).
-- Package-specific info:
-- apt-config dump --
APT "";
APT::Architecture "i386";
APT::Build-Essential "";
APT::Build-Essential:: "build-essential";
Dir "/";
Dir::State "var/lib/apt/";
Dir::State::lists "lists/";
Dir::State::cdroms "cdroms.list";
Dir::State::userstatus "status.user";
Dir::State::status "/var/lib/dpkg/status";
Dir::Cache "var/cache/apt/";
Dir::Cache::archives "archives/";
Dir::Cache::srcpkgcache "srcpkgcache.bin";
Dir::Cache::pkgcache "pkgcache.bin";
Dir::Etc "etc/apt/";
Dir::Etc::sourcelist "sources.list";
Dir::Etc::vendorlist "vendors.list";
Dir::Etc::vendorparts "vendors.list.d";
Dir::Etc::main "apt.conf";
Dir::Etc::parts "apt.conf.d";
Dir::Etc::preferences "preferences";
Dir::Bin "";
Dir::Bin::methods "/usr/lib/apt/methods";
Dir::Bin::dpkg "/usr/bin/dpkg";
DPkg "";
DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs "";
DPkg::Pre-Install-Pkgs:: "/usr/sbin/dpkg-preconfigure --apt || true";
-- (no /etc/apt/preferences present) --
-- /etc/apt/sources.list --
deb ftp://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ testing main non-free contrib
deb-src ftp://ftp.uk.debian.org/debian/ testing main non-free contrib
# deb http://mirror.ox.ac.uk/debian testing main contrib non-free
# deb-src http://mirror.ox.ac.uk/debian testing main contrib non-free
deb http://mirror.ox.ac.uk/debian-non-US testing/non-US main contrib non-free
deb-src http://mirror.ox.ac.uk/debian-non-US testing/non-US main contrib non-free
# deb http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US testing/non-US main contrib non-free
# deb-src http://non-us.debian.org/debian-non-US testing/non-US main contrib non-free
# deb http://mirrors.kernel.org/debian/ testing main non-free contrib
# deb-src http://mirrors.kernel.org/debian/ testing main non-free contrib
deb http://security.debian.org/ testing/updates main contrib non-free
-- System Information:
Debian Release: testing/unstable
Architecture: i386
Kernel: Linux gpk 2.4.23 #2 Sun Dec 7 11:46:58 GMT 2003 i686
Locale: LANG=C, LC_CTYPE=C
Versions of packages apt depends on:
ii libc6 2.3.2.ds1-11 GNU C Library: Shared libraries an
ii libgcc1 1:3.3.3-0pre3 GCC support library
ii libstdc++5 1:3.3.3-0pre3 The GNU Standard C++ Library v3
-- no debconf information
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