[Aptitude-devel] Bug#795396: Bug#795396: aptitude: DEBIAN_FRONTEND does not affect the debconf invoked by "aptitude

[Karl O. Pinc]

Hi Manual,

On Sun, 6 Sep 2015 16:15:56 +0100
"Manuel A. Fernandez Montecelo" <manuel.montezelo at gmail.com> wrote:

> Control: tags -1 + moreinfo

> 2015-08-13 17:04 Karl O. Pinc:
> >Package: aptitude
> >Version: 0.6.11-1+b1
> >Severity: normal

> >export DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive
> >aptitude --quiet=2 update
> >aptitude --quiet=2 -o Dir::Etc::sourcelist=$tmpsources -y
> >safe-upgrade
> >
> >Results in an interactive debconf session on jessie.  This was not
> >the case on wheezy.  (Assuming of course the safe-upgrade results
> >in a change that invokes debconf.)
> >
> >Debconf version: 1.5.56
> >
> >$ debconf-show debconf
> >debconf: DbDriver "passwords" warning: could not
> >open /var/cache/debconf/passwords.dat: Permission denied
> >  debconf-apt-progress/info:
> >* debconf/frontend: Readline
> >  debconf-apt-progress/title:
> >  debconf-apt-progress/preparing:
> >  debconf-apt-progress/media-change:
> >* debconf/priority: medium
> 
> As far as I know, aptitude doesn't have any code handling this
> variable or debconf directly.  Why do you think that it is a problem
> in aptitude?

Thanks for the reply.

I don't know that it's a problem in aptitude (or what
aptitude's code handles).  I reported the bug to aptitude
because that the only code path I know for sure exhibits
the bug.

I figured you guys would have a better idea of what
the source of the problem is than I do.  Feel free
to reassign the bug to another package that is more
appropriate.

> Also, what does happen if you use apt-get instead?

I don't know.  It's not clear to me how to create
a test environment to reproduce the problem.  It requires
that an installed package get an update put into a repo
and that the update makes changes to a user-modifed
config file (right?) so that debconf is invoked when 
the update is installed.

I'm not apt-savvy enough just now to be able to re-create the
problem on my own.  I'd be willing to try to reproduce
the problem with apt-get but I'd need some help.  I
haven't tried to research the problem but, offhand,
I couldn't even give you a list of steps that would
reach the goal.  My guess would be I'd have to learn
how to create a .deb package, and maybe an apt repo.

My hope was that by reporting the problem somebody
with experience would magically step in and
resolve the issue.  :-)  Please advise.

Regards,

Karl <kop at meme.com>
Free Software:  "You don't pay back, you pay forward."
                 -- Robert A. Heinlein