[Bug 1322382] [NEW] apt-get says that there are 'held broken' packages when there are no held packages

[jerrry94087 at yahoo.com]

Public bug reported:

While attempting to install some package, apt-get tells me:
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.
But looking for the held packages returns nothing.
Hence, an obvious contradiction.

This problem is important because this message obscures the real reasons
behind the failure of the often used 'apt-get install' command.

The message produced is absolutely not helpful for understanding of what
is actually wrong.


--- console log showing a problem ---
$ sudo apt-get install libqt4-dev
[sudo] password for xxx: 
Reading package lists... Done
Building dependency tree       
Reading state information... Done
Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
or been moved out of Incoming.
The following information may help to resolve the situation:

The following packages have unmet dependencies:
 libqt4-dev : Depends: libqt4-dbus (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
              Depends: libqt4-declarative (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
              Depends: libqt4-designer (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
              Depends: libqt4-help (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
              Depends: libqt4-network (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
              Depends: libqt4-qt3support (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but it is not going to be installed
              Depends: libqt4-script (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
              Depends: libqt4-scripttools (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
              Depends: libqt4-sql (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
              Depends: libqt4-svg (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
              Depends: libqt4-test (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
              Depends: libqt4-xml (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
              Depends: libqt4-xmlpatterns (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
              Depends: libqtcore4 (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
              Depends: libqtgui4 (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
              Depends: qt4-linguist-tools (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but it is not going to be installed
              Recommends: libqt4-opengl-dev (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but it is not going to be installed
              Recommends: libqtwebkit-dev (>= 2.0~) but it is not going to be installed
E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

$ dpkg --get-selections | awk '{if ($2 == "hold") print $0;}'
<... no output ...>

** Affects: apt (Ubuntu)
     Importance: Undecided
         Status: New

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1322382

Title:
  apt-get says that there are 'held broken' packages when there are no
  held packages

Status in “apt” package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  While attempting to install some package, apt-get tells me:
  E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.
  But looking for the held packages returns nothing.
  Hence, an obvious contradiction.

  This problem is important because this message obscures the real
  reasons behind the failure of the often used 'apt-get install'
  command.

  The message produced is absolutely not helpful for understanding of
  what is actually wrong.

  
  --- console log showing a problem ---
  $ sudo apt-get install libqt4-dev
  [sudo] password for xxx: 
  Reading package lists... Done
  Building dependency tree       
  Reading state information... Done
  Some packages could not be installed. This may mean that you have
  requested an impossible situation or if you are using the unstable
  distribution that some required packages have not yet been created
  or been moved out of Incoming.
  The following information may help to resolve the situation:

  The following packages have unmet dependencies:
   libqt4-dev : Depends: libqt4-dbus (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
                Depends: libqt4-declarative (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
                Depends: libqt4-designer (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
                Depends: libqt4-help (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
                Depends: libqt4-network (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
                Depends: libqt4-qt3support (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but it is not going to be installed
                Depends: libqt4-script (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
                Depends: libqt4-scripttools (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
                Depends: libqt4-sql (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
                Depends: libqt4-svg (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
                Depends: libqt4-test (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
                Depends: libqt4-xml (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
                Depends: libqt4-xmlpatterns (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
                Depends: libqtcore4 (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
                Depends: libqtgui4 (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4.1 is to be installed
                Depends: qt4-linguist-tools (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but it is not going to be installed
                Recommends: libqt4-opengl-dev (= 4:4.8.1-0ubuntu4) but it is not going to be installed
                Recommends: libqtwebkit-dev (>= 2.0~) but it is not going to be installed
  E: Unable to correct problems, you have held broken packages.

  $ dpkg --get-selections | awk '{if ($2 == "hold") print $0;}'
  <... no output ...>

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