apt-offline not working: Command line option --simulate is not understood

[dvh]

I have Ubuntu 14.04 64bit installed and fully updated. I installed package "apt-offline". Following command does not work:

$ sudo apt-get set ao.sig
Generating database of files that are needed for an update.
E: Command line option --simulate is not understood
ERROR: FATAL: Something is wrong with the apt system.

I found workaround here:

http://superuser.com/questions/737905/debian-updating-package-lists-with-apt-offline-simulate-not-understood-for-a

> I got this same error as well with the latest version of Ubuntu.
> I'm not on the machine that had these issues at the moment, but
> I figured out a workaround.
>
> First, locate the python files that are used by apt-offline,
> if memory services I think it was
> /usr/lib/python2.7/distribution-files/apt_offline_core/ or
> something like that. There's a file I think called
> apt_offline_core.py and in there is a single line that
> executes the command
> "apt-get update -qq --simulate --print-uris update".
> I changed the line by removing the --simulate (I don't think
> --simulate is necessary, given that --print-uris makes apt-get
> not actually do anything) and also I had to remove one of
> the -q's. So it now read:
>
> apt-get -q --print-uris update
>
> This worked. Apparantly the bug is in the apt-get package,
> and not apt-offline itself. I am running an older installation
> of ubuntu with an older version of apt-offline and that
> installation works and the line of code with --simulate is
> unchanged. So the bug is in the apt system.

Actual file is:

/usr/share/pyshared/apt_offline_core/AptOfflineCoreLib.py

Patch is in the attachment.

[Ritesh Raj Sarraf (rrs)]

On 05/29/2014 05:32 PM, Launchpad Bug Tracker wrote:
> You have been subscribed to a public bug:
>
> I have Ubuntu 14.04 64bit installed and fully updated. I installed
> package "apt-offline". Following command does not work:
>
> $ sudo apt-get set ao.sig
> Generating database of files that are needed for an update.
> E: Command line option --simulate is not understood
> ERROR: FATAL: Something is wrong with the apt system.

This is already fixed in my repo and will be part of the next Debian
release. Which means, eventually it will land in Ubuntu after that.
Thanks for reporting this bug though.

--
Ritesh Raj Sarraf
RESEARCHUT - http://www.researchut.com
"Necessity is the mother of invention."

[Ubuntu Foundations Team Bug Bot (crichton)]

The attachment "Patch for /usr/share/pyshared/apt_offline_core/AptOfflineCoreLib.py" seems to be a patch. If it isn't, please remove the "patch" flag from the attachment, remove the "patch" tag, and if you are a member of the ~ubuntu-reviewers, unsubscribe the team.

[This is an automated message performed by a Launchpad user owned by ~brian-murray, for any issues please contact him.]

[dvh (dusan-halicky)]

Fixed in upstream