[Bug 1919314] Re: debconf: delaying package configuration, since apt-utils is not installed

[David Kalnischkies]

apt-utils is not required & this is not a warning (in the sense of an
unimportant error), but an information why debconf isn't asking
questions to configure all packages upfront at the start of the run, but
will ask questions (if any) while the packages are actually installed as
needed potentially interrupting the process multiple times waiting for
user input who might have decided to take a walk while this lengthy
installation process runs to return to a machine having stopped half-way
through with a configuration question (not installed) vs. a machine who
asked the questions upfront and is now done (installed). The end result
doesn't change regardless of apt-utils being installed or not – its just
a matter of which way is taken to get there.

(In an ideal world, in reality there are still packages who have to ask
questions in the middle of it as those only come up in certain
configurations and/or situations and can't be asked upfront).

** Changed in: apt (Ubuntu)
       Status: New => Opinion

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https://bugs.launchpad.net/bugs/1919314

Title:
  debconf: delaying package configuration, since apt-utils is not
  installed

Status in apt package in Ubuntu:
  Opinion

Bug description:
  The warning appears when installing apt-utils, with no way to silence
  the message. If apt-utils is required in the base image, it should be
  added there and not be a standalone package. This is a transcript from
  Ubuntu 20.04.1:

  $ LANG=C sudo apt install apt-utils 
  Reading package lists... Done
  Building dependency tree       
  Reading state information... Done
  The following NEW packages will be installed:
    apt-utils
  0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 159 not upgraded.
  Need to get 0 B/213 kB of archives.
  After this operation, 852 kB of additional disk space will be used.
  debconf: delaying package configuration, since apt-utils is not installed
  Selecting previously unselected package apt-utils.
  (Reading database ... 688084 files and directories currently installed.)
  Preparing to unpack .../apt-utils_2.0.4_amd64.deb ...
  Unpacking apt-utils (2.0.4) ...
  Setting up apt-utils (2.0.4) ...
  Processing triggers for man-db (2.9.1-1) ...

  ProblemType: Bug
  DistroRelease: Ubuntu 20.04
  Package: apt-utils 2.0.4
  ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 5.4.0-65.73-generic 5.4.78
  Uname: Linux 5.4.0-65-generic x86_64
  NonfreeKernelModules: zfs zunicode zavl icp zcommon znvpair nvidia_modeset nvidia
  ApportVersion: 2.20.11-0ubuntu27.16
  Architecture: amd64
  CasperMD5CheckResult: skip
  CurrentDesktop: KDE
  Date: Tue Mar 16 11:30:26 2021
  EcryptfsInUse: Yes
  SourcePackage: apt
  UpgradeStatus: Upgraded to focal on 2020-05-04 (315 days ago)

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