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dpkg-query - package "un"packed, no version ???

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Zenaan Harkness

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Sep 2, 2013, 7:40:02 AM9/2/13
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Anyone know why I get this:

$ dpkg-query --list vim-athena
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name Version Architecture Description
+++-===================-==============-==============-============================================
un vim-athena <none> (no description available)

TIA
Zenaan


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Darac Marjal

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Sep 2, 2013, 7:50:01 AM9/2/13
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On Mon, Sep 02, 2013 at 09:33:27PM +1000, Zenaan Harkness wrote:
> Anyone know why I get this:
>
> $ dpkg-query --list vim-athena
> Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
> | Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
> |/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
> ||/ Name Version Architecture Description
> +++-===================-==============-==============-============================================
> un vim-athena <none> (no description available)

"un" isn't "un"packed it's "Desired=unknown/Status=not". That is, dpkg
doesn't know about the package and it's not installed. That probably
means that the package doesn't exist in debian.

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Zenaan Harkness

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Sep 2, 2013, 8:00:01 AM9/2/13
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On 9/2/13, Zenaan Harkness <z...@freedbms.net> wrote:
> Anyone know why I get this:
>
> $ dpkg-query --list vim-athena
> Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
> |
> Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
> |/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
> ||/ Name Version Architecture Description
> +++-===================-==============-==============-============================================
> un vim-athena <none> (no description
> available)

Actually I misread the status, that's u and n, not U and n, ie
"unknown" and "not-installed".

Further example:
$ dpkg-query --list chromium-browser-dbg 2>&1
dpkg-query: no packages found matching chromium-browser-dbg

Why don't I get this result, with vim-athena?

Also:
$ dpkg-query -s vim-athena 2>&1
dpkg-query: package 'vim-athena' is not installed and no information
is available
Use dpkg --info (= dpkg-deb --info) to examine archive files,
and dpkg --contents (= dpkg-deb --contents) to list their contents.


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Tom H

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Sep 2, 2013, 9:10:03 AM9/2/13
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On Mon, Sep 2, 2013 at 7:33 AM, Zenaan Harkness <z...@freedbms.net> wrote:
>
> Anyone know why I get this:
>
> $ dpkg-query --list vim-athena
> Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
> | Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
> |/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
> ||/ Name Version Architecture Description
> +++-===================-==============-==============-============================================
> un vim-athena <none> (no description available)

What's the problem?

u means that the action is unknown
and
n means that it's not installed


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Tom H

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Sep 2, 2013, 9:20:02 AM9/2/13
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It wouldn't output "un vim-athena ..." if it didn't exist!

The "u" means that the "Desired Action" for the package is "Unknown".

The "n" means that the "Status" of the package is "Not installed".


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Tom H

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Sep 2, 2013, 9:40:02 AM9/2/13
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On Mon, Sep 2, 2013 at 7:51 AM, Zenaan Harkness <z...@freedbms.net> wrote:
> On 9/2/13, Zenaan Harkness <z...@freedbms.net> wrote:
>>
>> Anyone know why I get this:
>>
>> $ dpkg-query --list vim-athena
>> Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
>> |
>> Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
>> |/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
>> ||/ Name Version Architecture Description
>> +++-===================-==============-==============-============================================
>> un vim-athena <none> (no description available)
>
> Actually I misread the status, that's u and n, not U and n, ie
> "unknown" and "not-installed".
>
> Further example:
>
> $ dpkg-query --list chromium-browser-dbg 2>&1
> dpkg-query: no packages found matching chromium-browser-dbg
>
> Why don't I get this result, with vim-athena?
>
> Also:
> $ dpkg-query -s vim-athena 2>&1
> dpkg-query: package 'vim-athena' is not installed and no information
> is available

dpkg-query parses "/var/lib/dpkg/status".

Since vim-athena isn't installed, "-s" tells you that it's not installed.

Since chromium-browser-dbg isn't installed, "-l" tells you that it's not found.

AFAICT, the "un" output of "-l" for vim-athena is because it's listed
in the "Recommends" field of vim-common, so it's recognized as a
package.


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Zenaan Harkness

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Sep 2, 2013, 9:40:02 AM9/2/13
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On 9/2/13, Tom H <tomh...@gmail.com> wrote:
> On Mon, Sep 2, 2013 at 7:33 AM, Zenaan Harkness <z...@freedbms.net> wrote:
>>
>> Anyone know why I get this:
>>
>> $ dpkg-query --list vim-athena
>> Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
>> |
>> Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
>> |/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
>> ||/ Name Version Architecture Description
>> +++-===================-==============-==============-============================================
>> un vim-athena <none> (no description
>> available)
>
> What's the problem?
>
> u means that the action is unknown
> and
> n means that it's not installed

What does "unknown action" mean?

And why is the output of the command different that, eg:
$ dpkg-query --list vim-dbg
dpkg-query: no packages found matching vim-dbg

There are fundamentally two different outputs, and therefore somewhere
in my system there is a different status of some sort between these
two packages. I am wanting to understand what that difference is, and
how it happened - why there is a difference at all. For example, I
don't know how to use pinning, so I have not done any apt pinning, but
using pinning, from what I've "overheard" on the lists/net is that a
status change would happen for a pinned package, somwhere in the
apt/dpkg "system".

How come I have "unknown action" status for package vim-athena?

Thank you
Zenaan


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Tom H

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Sep 2, 2013, 10:30:02 AM9/2/13
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"unknown action" means that dpkg doesn't know what action it's
supposed to take in respect of this package. The other options are
"install", "hold", "remove", "purge".

(I've just sent an email about the difference between the "-l" outputs
of vim-athena and chromium-browser-dbg.)

Are you talking about holding or pinning?

AFAIK pinning takes place in apt so dpkg and dpkg-query wouldn't know
about pinned packages.

For holding, you can set "hold" on vim-athena (for example) with "echo
vim-athena hold | dpkg --set-selections" and "-l" will output "h...".


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Loïc Grenié

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Sep 2, 2013, 10:30:02 AM9/2/13
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2013/9/2 Zenaan Harkness <z...@freedbms.net>:
> Anyone know why I get this:
>
> $ dpkg-query --list vim-athena
> Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
> | Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
> |/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
> ||/ Name Version Architecture Description
> +++-===================-==============-==============-============================================
> un vim-athena <none> (no description available)


The "u" means that you have not expressed any desire on this
package: never installed it, never removed it. The "n" means it's
not installed. It's thus an existing, non installed, package for which
you never showed any interest and is not needed by any other
installed package.

Hope this helps,

Loïc


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Curt

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Sep 2, 2013, 10:40:02 AM9/2/13
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On 2013-09-02, Tom H <tomh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> AFAICT, the "un" output of "-l" for vim-athena is because it's listed
> in the "Recommends" field of vim-common, so it's recognized as a
> package.

It seems to me, from what I can discern on my own system, that you
obtain the 'un' output in the initial field when there is no description
available for the package.

Or is that completely stupid? Am I confusing the cause with the effect?


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Tom H

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Sep 2, 2013, 10:40:02 AM9/2/13
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On Mon, Sep 2, 2013 at 10:32 AM, Curt <cu...@free.fr> wrote:
> On 2013-09-02, Tom H <tomh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> AFAICT, the "un" output of "-l" for vim-athena is because it's listed
>> in the "Recommends" field of vim-common, so it's recognized as a
>> package.
>
> It seems to me, from what I can discern on my own system, that you
> obtain the 'un' output in the initial field when there is no description
> available for the package.
>
> Or is that completely stupid? Am I confusing the cause with the effect?

Then vim-dbg and chromium-browser-dbg should also get "un...".


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Curt

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Sep 2, 2013, 11:00:01 AM9/2/13
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On 2013-09-02, Tom H <tomh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> Then vim-dbg and chromium-browser-dbg should also get "un...".
>

Where or how do you get "no package description" for those packages?
What command are you using?


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Zenaan Harkness

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Sep 2, 2013, 11:00:03 AM9/2/13
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On 9/3/13, Curt <cu...@free.fr> wrote:
> On 2013-09-02, Tom H <tomh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>> AFAICT, the "un" output of "-l" for vim-athena is because it's listed
>> in the "Recommends" field of vim-common, so it's recognized as a
>> package.
>
> It seems to me, from what I can discern on my own system, that you
> obtain the 'un' output in the initial field when there is no description
> available for the package.
>
> Or is that completely stupid? Am I confusing the cause with the effect?

I actually thought the same for a bit, but apt-cache show vim-athena
seems to show description just fine.

I think it may be due to "Recommends" by vim-common. Let's see what
Tom can dig up.

Tom - nothing to do with pinning by the way, that was just an example
on my part.

Thanks heaps
Zenaan


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Tom H

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Sep 2, 2013, 11:10:02 AM9/2/13
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On Mon, Sep 2, 2013 at 10:53 AM, Zenaan Harkness <z...@freedbms.net> wrote:
> On 9/3/13, Curt <cu...@free.fr> wrote:
>> On 2013-09-02, Tom H <tomh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> AFAICT, the "un" output of "-l" for vim-athena is because it's listed
>>> in the "Recommends" field of vim-common, so it's recognized as a
>>> package.
>>
>> It seems to me, from what I can discern on my own system, that you
>> obtain the 'un' output in the initial field when there is no description
>> available for the package.
>>
>> Or is that completely stupid? Am I confusing the cause with the effect?
>
> I actually thought the same for a bit, but apt-cache show vim-athena
> seems to show description just fine.

apt-cache queries "/var/lib/apt/lists/*_Packages" whereas dpkg-query
queries "/var/lib/dpkg/status".


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Curt

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Sep 2, 2013, 11:10:02 AM9/2/13
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On 2013-09-02, Zenaan Harkness <z...@freedbms.net> wrote:
>
> I actually thought the same for a bit, but apt-cache show vim-athena
> seems to show description just fine.
>

Well, I'm not getting the same output as you for the same packages, and
it's not the package description that apt-cache shows that seems to be
in question.

curty@einstein:~$ dpkg-query --list vim-athena
No packages found matching vim-athena.

curty@einstein:~$ dpkg -l \* | grep vim
ii vim 2:7.2.445+hg~cb94c42c0e1a-1 Vi IMproved - enhanced vi editor
ii vim-common 2:7.2.445+hg~cb94c42c0e1a-1 Vi IMproved - Common files
un vim-doc <none> (no description available)
un vim-gnome <none> (no description available)
un vim-gtk <none> (no description available)
un vim-lesstif <none> (no description available)
un vim-nox <none> (no description available)
ii vim-runtime 2:7.2.445+hg~cb94c42c0e1a-1 Vi IMproved - Runtime files
un vim-scripts <none> (no description available)
ii vim-tiny 2:7.2.445+hg~cb94c42c0e1a-1 Vi IMproved - enhanced vi editor

For example.

curty@einstein:~$ dpkg-query --list vim-doc
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
| Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name Version Description
+++-====================-====================-========================================================
un vim-doc <none> (no description available)





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Tom H

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Sep 2, 2013, 11:20:01 AM9/2/13
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On Mon, Sep 2, 2013 at 10:53 AM, Curt <cu...@free.fr> wrote:
> On 2013-09-02, Tom H <tomh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Then vim-dbg and chromium-browser-dbg should also get "un...".
>
> Where or how do you get "no package description" for those packages?
> What command are you using?

dpkg -l


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Curt

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Sep 2, 2013, 11:20:01 AM9/2/13
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On 2013-09-02, Tom H <tomh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Where or how do you get "no package description" for those packages?
>> What command are you using?
>
> dpkg -l
>

curty@einstein:~$ dpkg -l vim-dbg
No packages found matching vim-dbg.
curty@einstein:~$ dpkg-query --list vim-dbg
No packages found matching vim-dbg.

curty@einstein:~$ dpkg -l vim-doc
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
|
Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name Version Description
+++-====================-====================-============================
un vim-doc <none> (no description available)

I don't understand as you're not cutting and pasting you're output. You're not
getting the same output as me apparently.


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Curt

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Sep 2, 2013, 11:30:01 AM9/2/13
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On 2013-09-02, Curt <cu...@free.fr> wrote:

> curty@einstein:~$ dpkg -l vim-doc
> Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
>|
> Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
>|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
>||/ Name Version Description
> +++-====================-====================-============================
> un vim-doc <none> (no description available)
>
> I don't understand as you're not cutting and pasting you're output. You're not
> getting the same output as me apparently.
>

Sorry to follow up on myself, but if someone could just cut and paste
the output from their machine that shows an instance of an 'un' in the first
field of a dpkg query _without_ a corresponding <none> and <no
description available> in the subsequent Version and Description fields,
I could go back to sleep, which is what I do best.


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Tom H

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Sep 2, 2013, 11:30:01 AM9/2/13
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On Mon, Sep 2, 2013 at 11:04 AM, Curt <cu...@free.fr> wrote:
> On 2013-09-02, Zenaan Harkness <z...@freedbms.net> wrote:
>>
>> I actually thought the same for a bit, but apt-cache show vim-athena
>> seems to show description just fine.
>
> Well, I'm not getting the same output as you for the same packages, and
> it's not the package description that apt-cache shows that seems to be
> in question.
>
> curty@einstein:~$ dpkg-query --list vim-athena
> No packages found matching vim-athena.
>
> curty@einstein:~$ dpkg -l \* | grep vim
> ii vim 2:7.2.445+hg~cb94c42c0e1a-1 Vi IMproved - enhanced vi editor
> ii vim-common 2:7.2.445+hg~cb94c42c0e1a-1 Vi IMproved - Common files
> un vim-doc <none> (no description available)
> un vim-gnome <none> (no description available)
> un vim-gtk <none> (no description available)
> un vim-lesstif <none> (no description available)
> un vim-nox <none> (no description available)
> ii vim-runtime 2:7.2.445+hg~cb94c42c0e1a-1 Vi IMproved - Runtime files
> un vim-scripts <none> (no description available)
> ii vim-tiny 2:7.2.445+hg~cb94c42c0e1a-1 Vi IMproved - enhanced vi editor

Does "apt-cache show vim-common" list vim-athena on the "Recommends:" line?


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Zenaan Harkness

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Sep 2, 2013, 11:30:02 AM9/2/13
to
On 9/3/13, Curt <cu...@free.fr> wrote:
> On 2013-09-02, Tom H <tomh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> Then vim-dbg and chromium-browser-dbg should also get "un...".
>>
>
> Where or how do you get "no package description" for those packages?
> What command are you using?

:)

With my custom supa-dupa package searcher and shower script :)

Now, my script was using "dpkg -W $pkg-name" and grepping for "no
packages found" to test whether the package was
installed/not-installed. This fails in the situation of vim-athena
(and similar situations of course), so my show_installed_package was
being incorrectly called (should have been
show__not_installed_package).

I symlink my script for a few commands (command names) which the
script conditionally executes, like busybox. And the key combinations
I've chosen are quick and easy to type, the output highlights (with
grep to red colorize) the lines I consider are important (Status,
Section (so I can see blah/non-free), Package name of course) and also
spits out the binaries if any installed, and pipes through my chosen
pager, and lays out all the package information in just the way I
like.

I also have package searching down to a fine art, with a few variants:
alternative grep term, additional grep term, etc.

aks <name> <enter> searches
akw <name> shows package info/description etc
akgn <name> <additional-grep-filter-term>
etc

I live in the cmd line, and I find searching and showing packages such
a common occurrence (for years now), that these keystroke saving and
key-data-highlighting script variations bring much sanity to this
tinker junkie :)

(Can email if wanted, it's not far off being ready for public posting
.. by my standards at least.)

Cheers
Zenaan


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Curt

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Sep 2, 2013, 11:40:01 AM9/2/13
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On 2013-09-02, Tom H <tomh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
> Does "apt-cache show vim-common" list vim-athena on the "Recommends:" line?
>
Yes it does. It also shows vim-gnome. So I only see one pattern here,
although I'm not taking much time for reflection.

curty@einstein:~$ dpkg-query --list vim-gnome
Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
|
Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
|/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
||/ Name Version Description
+++-====================-====================-===============================
un vim-gnome <none> (no description available)

curty@einstein:~$ dpkg-query --list vim-athena
No packages found matching vim-athena.



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Zenaan Harkness

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Sep 2, 2013, 11:40:02 AM9/2/13
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This is what I get:
apt-cache show vim-common
Recommends: vim | vim-gnome | vim-gtk | vim-athena | vim-nox | vim-tiny

What do you get?


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Tom H

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Sep 2, 2013, 12:00:02 PM9/2/13
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On Mon, Sep 2, 2013 at 11:19 AM, Curt <cu...@free.fr> wrote:
> On 2013-09-02, Tom H <tomh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> Where or how do you get "no package description" for those packages?
>>> What command are you using?
>>
>> dpkg -l
>
> curty@einstein:~$ dpkg -l vim-dbg
> No packages found matching vim-dbg.
> curty@einstein:~$ dpkg-query --list vim-dbg
> No packages found matching vim-dbg.
>
> curty@einstein:~$ dpkg -l vim-doc
> Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
> |
> Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
> |/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
> ||/ Name Version Description
> +++-====================-====================-============================
> un vim-doc <none> (no description available)
>
> I don't understand as you're not cutting and pasting you're output. You're not
> getting the same output as me apparently.

Because I'm not on a Debian box.


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Tom H

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Sep 2, 2013, 12:10:05 PM9/2/13
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On Mon, Sep 2, 2013 at 11:34 AM, Curt <cu...@free.fr> wrote:
> On 2013-09-02, Tom H <tomh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>> Does "apt-cache show vim-common" list vim-athena on the "Recommends:" line?
>>
> Yes it does. It also shows vim-gnome. So I only see one pattern here,
> although I'm not taking much time for reflection.
>
> curty@einstein:~$ dpkg-query --list vim-gnome
> Desired=Unknown/Install/Remove/Purge/Hold
> |
> Status=Not/Inst/Conf-files/Unpacked/halF-conf/Half-inst/trig-aWait/Trig-pend
> |/ Err?=(none)/Reinst-required (Status,Err: uppercase=bad)
> ||/ Name Version Description
> +++-====================-====================-===============================
> un vim-gnome <none> (no description available)
>
> curty@einstein:~$ dpkg-query --list vim-athena
> No packages found matching vim-athena.

I downloaded "Packages.bz2" from
"http://ftp.debian.org/debian/dists/Debian6.0.7/main/binary-amd64/"
and vim-common doesn't depend on vim-athena:

Package: vim-common
<snip>
Version: 2:7.2.445+hg~cb94c42c0e1a-1
Depends: libc6 (>= 2.3)
Recommends: vim | vim-gnome | vim-gtk | vim-lesstif | vim-nox | vim-tiny
<snip>

so "apt-cache show vim-common" cannot list vim-athena on the "Recommends:" line.

Do a test.

If "dpkg -l <package>" outputs "un...", does "grep <package>
/var/lib/apt/status" get a hit?

How about if "dpkg -l <package>" outputs "no packages found matching..."?


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Curt

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Sep 2, 2013, 12:50:02 PM9/2/13
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On 2013-09-02, Tom H <tomh...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> so "apt-cache show vim-common" cannot list vim-athena on the "Recommends:" line.

Package: vim-common
Source: vim
Version: 2:7.3.547-7~bpo60+1
Installed-Size: 364
Maintainer: Debian Vim Maintainers <pkg-vim-m...@lists.alioth.debian.org>
Architecture: amd64
Depends: libc6 (>= 2.3.4)
Recommends: vim | vim-gnome | vim-gtk | vim-athena | vim-nox | vim-tiny

I have a backported package.


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Curt

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Sep 2, 2013, 1:00:03 PM9/2/13
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On 2013-09-02, Curt <cu...@free.fr> wrote:
>
> I have a backported package.
>

I should say that there are two packages shown when I do 'apt-cache show
vim-common," of which the backported one has vim-athena as a Recommends,
though the backported package is not the one I have installed.

Sorry for the confusion, although what this has to do with the price of
tea in China, I do not know.


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Robert Holtzm

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Sep 2, 2013, 1:50:01 PM9/2/13
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Then why does it show up in synaptic?


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Andrei POPESCU

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Oct 18, 2013, 5:30:03 AM10/18/13
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On Ma, 03 sep 13, 01:28:35, Zenaan Harkness wrote:
> On 9/3/13, Curt <cu...@free.fr> wrote:
> >
> > Where or how do you get "no package description" for those packages?
> > What command are you using?
>
> :)
>
> With my custom supa-dupa package searcher and shower script :)
>
> Now, my script was using "dpkg -W $pkg-name" and grepping for "no
> packages found" to test whether the package was
> installed/not-installed. This fails in the situation of vim-athena
> (and similar situations of course), so my show_installed_package was
> being incorrectly called (should have been
> show__not_installed_package).

Well, it fails because you are not asking the correct question. If you
want dpkg to tell you if a package is installed or not then ask that
instead:

$ dpkg-query -W -f='${Package}\t${Status}\n' vim-athena
vim-athena unknown ok not-installed

Kind regards,
Andrei
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