Bug#335502: /usr/bin/{vim,gvim} symlinks not created

[Eduard Bloch]

reassign 335502 dpkg
thanks

#include <hallo.h>
* Stefano Zacchiroli [Tue, Oct 25 2005, 10:44:54AM]:
> tags 335502 + moreinfo unreproducible
> thanks
> 
> Eduard Bloch wrote:
> > after todays Sid upgrade the vim installation broke. The new symlinks
> > in /usr/bin to the "alternatives" links were just missing. I think it
> > comes from some internal breakage in update-alternatives, I have seen
> > it doing strange things before. Using update-alternatives now does not
> > recreate the symlinks either.
> 
> I tried the upgrade on several unstable boxes and all went smoothly.
> Could you please provide more info and/or how to reproduce the bug?

Maybe because you did that manually with dpkg and always in the same
order? If there are problems in update-alternatives (and that is what I
wrote) you must consider all possible runtime influence, including
timing and reordering issues.

Look:

$ update-alternatives --install /usr/bin/vim vim /usr/bin/vim.gtk 0
$ echo $?
0
$ update-alternatives --verbose --install /usr/bin/vim vim
/usr/bin/vim.gtk 0

/usr/bin/vim is still isn't there, just not created even if nothing is
in the way if update-alternatives would try to create it.

I tried a downgrade to the testing version, it did not work (because
dpkg-divert failed in preinst). So I cleaned up the reverts manually (in
the reverts list, removed the files) and purged the packages. Installed
the Testing version, then dist-upgraded. Problem was reproducible.

What I did next: dpkg --purge <all vim packages>, install the testing
version, dist-upgrade. Then it worked. How did that happen? No idea. I
retried again, removed the symlink. This time it is recreated after
update-alternatives calls. Problem source? Unknown. 

Fsckage in update-alternatives? Most likely. It's code is very
disgusting and I did fix a similar issue a while ago there.

I am reassigning the report now.

And since this is apparently not your 

> Info that could help can be:
> - version of dpkg (owner of update-alternatives)
> - version you upgraded vim from

Default Sid versions.

> - ls -l /usr/bin/vi*

lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root      20 2005-06-13 23:55 /usr/bin/vi ->
/etc/alternatives/vi
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root      22 2005-06-13 23:55 /usr/bin/view ->
/etc/alternatives/view
-rwxr-xr-x  1 root root 1090476 2005-10-23 16:38 /usr/bin/vim.basic
-rwxr-xr-x  1 root root 1332364 2005-10-23 16:38 /usr/bin/vim.gtk
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root       3 2005-10-25 12:18 /usr/bin/vimdiff -> vim
-rwxr-xr-x  1 root root    1600 2005-10-23 16:38 /usr/bin/vimtutor


> - ls -l /etc/alternatives | grep vi

ls -l /etc/alternatives | grep vi
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  12 2005-10-17 23:30 editor -> /usr/bin/vim
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  28 2005-10-17 23:30 editor.1.gz ->
/usr/share/man/man1/vim.1.gz
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  12 2005-10-17 23:30 ex -> /usr/bin/vim
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  28 2005-10-17 23:30 ex.1.gz ->
/usr/share/man/man1/vim.1.gz
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  32 2005-06-29 01:28 gnome-video-thumbnailer ->
/usr/bin/totem-video-thumbnailer
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  16 2005-06-13 23:55 gvim -> /usr/bin/vim-gtk
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  28 2005-06-13 23:55 gvim.1.gz ->
/usr/share/man/man1/vim.1.gz
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  19 2005-10-24 11:27 oxdvi.bin ->
/usr/bin/oxdvi.real
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  12 2005-10-17 23:30 vi -> /usr/bin/vim
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  28 2005-10-17 23:30 vi.1.gz ->
/usr/share/man/man1/vim.1.gz
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  12 2005-10-17 23:30 view -> /usr/bin/vim
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  28 2005-10-17 23:30 view.1.gz ->
/usr/share/man/man1/vim.1.gz
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  16 2005-10-24 11:51 vim -> /usr/bin/vim.gtk
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  23 2005-10-12 13:47 vncviewer ->
/usr/bin/xrealvncviewer
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  39 2005-10-12 13:47 vncviewer.1.gz ->
/usr/share/man/man1/xrealvncviewer.1.gz
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  18 2005-10-24 11:27 xdvi.bin ->
/usr/bin/xdvi.real
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  23 2005-10-12 13:47 xvncviewer ->
/usr/bin/xrealvncviewer
lrwxrwxrwx  1 root root  39 2005-10-12 13:47 xvncviewer.1.gz ->
/usr/share/man/man1/xrealvncviewer.1.gz

> - cat /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/vi*

cat /var/lib/dpkg/alternatives/vi*
manual
/usr/bin/vi
vi.1.gz
/usr/share/man/man1/vi.1.gz

/usr/bin/vim
120
/usr/share/man/man1/vim.1.gz

manual
/usr/bin/view
view.1.gz
/usr/share/man/man1/view.1.gz

/usr/bin/mcview-debian
100
/usr/share/man/man1/mcview.1.gz
/usr/bin/vim
120
/usr/share/man/man1/vim.1.gz

manual
/usr/bin/vim

/usr/bin/vim.basic
10
/usr/bin/vim.gtk
0

> - ... add your hint here ;-)
> 
> Many thanks for your report.
> Cheers.
> 
> -- 
> Stefano Zacchiroli -*- Computer Science PhD student @ Uny Bologna, Italy
> zack@{cs.unibo.it,debian.org,bononia.it} -%- http://www.bononia.it/zack/
> If there's any real truth it's that the entire multidimensional infinity
> of the Universe is almost certainly being run by a bunch of maniacs. -!-



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