apt-get gets confused

[JohnBeardmore]

I think I've broken something in package management.

Whenever I try to apt-get install, remve or upgrade, the process finished with a message of the form below.

I've tried removing and installing python3-minimal and python3 but it hasn't changed the situation. Any idea how I might fix this without reinstalling?

Cheers, J/.


Reading package lists...
Building dependency tree...
Reading state information...
Package 'logrotate' is not installed, so not removed
0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 25 not upgraded.
2 not fully installed or removed.
After this operation, 0 B of additional disk space will be used.
Setting up python3-minimal (3.2.3-6) ...
Traceback (most recent call last):
File "/usr/bin/py3compile", line 34, in <module>
from debpython.version import SUPPORTED, debsorted, vrepr, \
EOFError: EOF read where not expected
dpkg: error processing python3-minimal (--configure):
subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 1
dpkg: dependency problems prevent configuration of python3:
python3 depends on python3-minimal (= 3.2.3-6); however:
Package python3-minimal is not configured yet.

dpkg: error processing python3 (--configure):
dependency problems - leaving unconfigured
Errors were encountered while processing:
python3-minimal
python3

[InsideJob]

Sometimes I have to do an apt-get purge instead of remove to whack messed up config files. It's also possible something installed an older version of minimal and that's why it fails. apt-cache showpkg will give you the reverse depends.

[JohnBeardmore]

>Sometimes I have to do an apt-get purge instead of remove to whack messed up config files.

Thanks, but it didn't help.

>It's also possible something installed an older version of minimal and that's why it fails.

I really don't know how apt works, so it's magic when it does, and black magic when it doesn't.

Why would having an older version make it impossible to remove ?

> apt-cache showpkg will give you the reverse depends.

It does, but what does this tell me ?

Cheers, J/.