[PLUG] Ubuntu Mate Update Weirdness

[Ben Koenig]

This is a common problem that can occur with distributions that use apt for
dependency resolution. The first step is to verify that you have a reliable
connection to the internet.

Once you know that you are able to download files ( in particular large
files, and groups of files in a batch ) then the issue is with package
cache maintained locally on your system.


Apt-get runs in 2 stages:
- update - Download summary of all packages available in the repository
- do something with this information, upgrade/install/remove


What happens is that the cache apt uses gets corrupted for various reasons,
but apt is too stupid to realize that something has gone horribly wrong.
The end result is that apt is attempting to find and download packages that
do not actually exist. In some cases it can lose track of gpg keys, or to
be honest the resulting error you see can be anything. dpkg and apt require
"perfection" in order to function, any little error will cause them to
scream like the system is in mortal danger.


When the software updater is looping and refusing to allow updates, you
probably just need to clear the cache files (delete all of them). Then run
'sudo apt-get update'. This will be equivalent to running the updater for
the first time. It will redownload all files, and IF it fails at that
point, then either your installation is broken, or the server is having
difficulty serving the files you have just requested.

This was a common problem at Free Geek for several of the ubuntu derived
distros they used, but I don't know how much of this applies to 15.04, and
I don't know where newer versions of ubuntu put the apt cache files.

On Tue, Feb 27, 2018 at 6:47 PM, John Jason Jordan <johnxj at gmx.com> wrote:

> On Tue, 27 Feb 2018 17:48:07 -0800
> Rigel Hope <gnu at rigelhope.org> dijo:
>
> >Im sorry i dont have anything more constructive than "have you tried a
> >command line apt update followed by upgrade?” to offer.
>
> I love the GUI, but when it goes awry I switch to the command line if I
> can. Instead of mysteriously evaporating from the screen, the command
> line is better at giving real error messages.
>
> I have also been having issues with Update Manager lately, similar to
> what Dick reports, including failing to find the internet. Because of
> the problems, which I assume are bugs, I don't even try Update Manager
> anymore. When I want to do an update I launch Synaptic, which I find
> more reliable.
>
> I have two computers and get these same results with both - Xubuntu
> 14.04.5 and Xubuntu 17.10.1.
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