[Debconf-devel] Bug#808464: suddenly being asked for interactive keyboard configuration

[gregor herrmann]

On Sun, 20 Dec 2015 12:27:11 +0100, Holger Levsen wrote:

> Which do "apt-get install -y --install-recommends diffoscope" in sid, which 
> now fails like this: 
> 
> ...
> Setting up keyboard-configuration (1.134) ...
> debconf: unable to initialize frontend: Dialog
> debconf: (Dialog frontend will not work on a dumb terminal, an emacs shell 
> buffer, or without a controlling terminal.)
> debconf: falling back to frontend: Readline
> Configuring keyboard-configuration
> ----------------------------------
[..]
 
> <ntyni> is it using DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive ?
> <h01ger> ntyni: yes. the jenkins code used here hasnt changed at all. 
> <ntyni> h01ger: I'm guessing DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive never took effect 
> for some reason and the Dialog frontend is now falling back to a different 
> frontend (Readline) that tries harder to ask its questions even without a real 
> terminal/stdin
> <h01ger> hm
> <ntyni> h01ger: I wouldn't expect those messages about Dialog and Readline 
> frontends at all if DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive was in effect
> * h01ger nods
> <ntyni> h01ger: but I'm not 100% positive on that
> <h01ger> 
> https://jenkins.debian.net/job/reproducible_setup_schroot_unstable_diffoscope_amd64_jenkins/lastBuild/console 
> weirly enough has a different frontend it seems

Quick test:
- cowbuilder sid amd64 chroot
- a) DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive, b) unset DEBIAN_FRONTEND
- apt-get install -y --install-recommends diffoscope

In case a) I get no questions, as expected; in case b) I also get

Setting up keyboard-configuration (1.134) ...
debconf: unable to initialize frontend: Dialog
debconf: (No usable dialog-like program is installed, so the dialog based frontend cannot be used. at /usr/share/perl5/Debconf/FrontEnd/Dialog.pm line 76.)
debconf: falling back to frontend: Readline
Configuring keyboard-configuration
----------------------------------


This looks like DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive is working as
expected; which doesn't answer what's happening in your
jenkins/reproduucible job :/

Hm, a tiny difference is "Dialog frontend will not work" vs. "No
usable dialog-like program is installed". But still, the whole
question should be skipped with DEBIAN_FRONTEND=noninteractive.

Cheers,
gregor

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