I think I need some more background on what is happening here.
(I ran apt-get update before each use of apt-get)
1. had a happy SID based system (almost daily apt-get upgrade)
2. did a apt-get dist-upgrade (this was becuase of all the fuss about sarge being released and I had noticed the number of held back packages was growing).
3. found kde version now conflicted with some existing apps.
4. after each apt-get update manually forced a downgrade to an earlier version of KDE libraries that allowed KMail etc to work.
so why does the system when I run apt-get upgrade all of a sudden not just re-upgrade the KDE libs and continue as normal ?
I thought the constant downgrading would be resolved in a few weeks but from what I can see other users are seeing the same issues (I also notice that they all have done a recent apt-get dist-upgrade).
Unforttunately they either reinstall from scratch or do a downgrade without noting which packages they downgraded.
I tried --reinstall but am not sure what I am doing.
If I try and --reinstall kdelibs4-dev (which as far as I can see is the main package I have been degrading each time) I get dependacies a plenty
Code:
asarock:~# apt-get --reinstall install kdelibs4-dev
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
You might want to run `apt-get -f install' to correct these:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
kdelibs4-dev: Depends: kdelibs4c2 (= 4:3.4.2-2) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: kdelibs-bin (= 4:3.4.2-2) but 4:3.3.2-6.1 is to be installed
Depends: libarts1-dev (>= 1.4.2) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: libopenexr-dev (>= 1.2.2-3) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: libqt3-mt-dev (>= 3:3.3.4-4) but it is not going to be installed
E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution).
asarock:~# apt-get --reinstall install kdelibs4-dev libqt3-mt-dev
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
You might want to run `apt-get -f install' to correct these:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
kdelibs4-dev: Depends: kdelibs4c2 (= 4:3.4.2-2) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: kdelibs-bin (= 4:3.4.2-2) but 4:3.3.2-6.1 is to be installed
Depends: libarts1-dev (>= 1.4.2) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: libopenexr-dev (>= 1.2.2-3) but it is not going to be installed
libqt3-mt-dev: Depends: libqt3-mt (= 3:3.3.4-7) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: qt3-dev-tools (= 3:3.3.4-7) but 3:3.3.4-3 is to be installed
Depends: libglu1-xorg-dev but it is not going to be installed or
libglu1-mesa-dev but it is not going to be installed or
libglu-dev
E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution).
asarock:~# apt-get --reinstall install kdelibs4-dev libqt3-mt-dev kdelibs4c2 kdelibs-bin libarts1-dev libopenexr-dev
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
You might want to run `apt-get -f install' to correct these:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
kdelibs-bin: Depends: libqt3-mt (>= 3:3.3.4) but it is not going to be installed
kdelibs4: Depends: kdelibs-bin (= 4:3.3.2-6.1) but 4:3.4.2-2 is to be installed
kdelibs4c2: Depends: libarts1c2 (>= 1.4.2-1) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: libopenexr2c2 (>= 1.2.2) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: libqt3-mt (>= 3:3.3.4) but it is not going to be installed
Conflicts: kdelibs4 but 4:3.3.2-6.1 is to be installed
libarts1-dev: Depends: libarts1c2 (= 1.4.2-4) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: libartsc0-dev (= 1.4.2-4) but 1.4.2-3 is to be installed
libopenexr-dev: Depends: libopenexr2c2 (= 1.2.2-4) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: xlibmesa-glu-dev or
libglu-dev
libqt3-mt-dev: Depends: libqt3-mt (= 3:3.3.4-7) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: qt3-dev-tools (= 3:3.3.4-7) but 3:3.3.4-3 is to be installed
Depends: libglu1-xorg-dev but it is not going to be installed or
libglu1-mesa-dev but it is not going to be installed or
libglu-dev
E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution).
but as the original reply suggested fixing the package that apt-get update was specifically complaining about I tried
Code:
asarock:~# apt-get --reinstall install libarts1-dev
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
You might want to run `apt-get -f install' to correct these:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
libarts1-dev: Depends: libarts1c2 (= 1.4.2-4) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: libartsc0-dev (= 1.4.2-4) but 1.4.2-3 is to be installed
Depends: libqt3-mt-dev (>= 3:3.3.4-4) but it is not going to be installed
E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution).
asarock:~# apt-get --reinstall install libarts1-dev libarts1c2 libartsc0-dev libqt3-mt-dev
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
You might want to run `apt-get -f install' to correct these:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
libarts1c2: Depends: libqt3-mt (>= 3:3.3.4) but it is not going to be installed
Conflicts: libarts1 but 1.3.2-4 is to be installed
libartsc0-dev: Depends: libartsc0 (= 1.4.2-4) but 1.4.2-3 is to be installed
libqt3-mt-dev: Depends: libqt3-mt (= 3:3.3.4-7) but it is not going to be installed
Depends: qt3-dev-tools (= 3:3.3.4-7) but 3:3.3.4-3 is to be installed
Depends: libglu1-xorg-dev but it is not going to be installed or
libglu1-mesa-dev but it is not going to be installed or
libglu-dev
E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution).
asarock:~# apt-get --reinstall install libarts1-dev libarts1c2 libartsc0-dev libqt3-mt-dev libqt3-mt qt3-dev-tools libglu1-xorg-dev
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree... Done
You might want to run `apt-get -f install' to correct these:
The following packages have unmet dependencies:
libarts1c2: Conflicts: libarts1 but 1.3.2-4 is to be installed
libartsc0-dev: Depends: libartsc0 (= 1.4.2-4) but 1.4.2-3 is to be installed
libqt3-mt: Conflicts: libqt3c102-mt but 3:3.3.4-3 is to be installed
libqt3c102-mt: Conflicts: libqt3-mt but 3:3.3.4-7 is to be installed
E: Unmet dependencies. Try 'apt-get -f install' with no packages (or specify a solution).
I am even more confused than before.
The result for each package says "is to be installed" yet apt-get actually did nothing.