[Debconf-devel] Bug#918855: debconf: Impossible to upgrade from 1.5.59 -> 1.5.69

[Adrian Bunk]

On Wed, Jan 09, 2019 at 04:17:32PM -0800, Dima Kogan wrote:
> Package: debconf
> Version: 1.5.69
> Severity: serious
> 
> Hi.
> 
> I'm running a mostly-up-to-date Debian/sid system. I just tried updating
> it, and it barf at me when I ask it to update debconf:
>...
> The punchline is at the end. I haven't tried to figure out what this
> loop means, and I haven't attempted the setting suggested by the error
> message, since it sounds like it could break something. This probably
> shouldn't be happening. I'm attaching the output of 'dpkg -l'.

ii  perl                              5.20.1-1                         amd64        Larry Wall's Practical Extraction and Report Language
ii  perl-base                         5.20.1-1                         amd64        minimal Perl system
ri  perl-modules                      5.20.1-1                         all          Core Perl modules

There are packages from unstable at some point between wheezy and jessie.
debconf 1.5.59 was pre-stretch unstable.

Are you somehow pinning/holding ancient packages on your system?

> Thanks!

cu
Adrian

-- 

       "Is there not promise of rain?" Ling Tan asked suddenly out
        of the darkness. There had been need of rain for many days.
       "Only a promise," Lao Er said.
                                       Pearl S. Buck - Dragon Seed