installation of `icedtea-netx` breaks link group `itweb-settings` and fails

[Karl-Philipp Richter]

installing `icedtea-netx` fails with `dpkg` errors

    update-alternatives: warning: forcing reinstallation of alternative /usr/lib/jvm/java-7-openjdk-amd64/jre/bin/itweb-settings because link group itweb-settings is broken
    update-alternatives: warning: not replacing /usr/share/man/man1/itweb-settings.1.gz with a link
    update-alternatives: warning: forcing reinstallation of alternative /usr/lib/jvm/java-7-openjdk-amd64/jre/bin/itweb-settings because link group itweb-settings is broken
    update-alternatives: warning: not replacing /usr/share/man/man1/itweb-settings.1.gz with a link
    update-alternatives: error: alternative path /usr/lib/jvm/java-8-openjdk-amd64/jre/bin/javaws doesn't exist
    dpkg: error processing package icedtea-netx:amd64 (--configure):
     subprocess installed post-installation script returned error exit status 2
    Errors were encountered while processing:
     icedtea-netx:amd64

ProblemType: Bug
DistroRelease: Ubuntu 14.10
Package: icedtea-netx 1.5.1-1ubuntu1
ProcVersionSignature: Ubuntu 3.16.0-22.29-generic 3.16.4
Uname: Linux 3.16.0-22-generic x86_64
NonfreeKernelModules: openafs zfs zunicode zavl zcommon znvpair
ApportVersion: 2.14.7-0ubuntu5
Architecture: amd64
CurrentDesktop: Unity
Date: Sun Oct 12 19:23:03 2014
EcryptfsInUse: Yes
SourcePackage: icedtea-web
UpgradeStatus: No upgrade log present (probably fresh install)

[Launchpad Janitor (janitor)]

Status changed to 'Confirmed' because the bug affects multiple users.

[John Lenton (chipaca)]

the postinst is buggy, and the package itself is buggy; part of it from debian, part of it ubuntu's own. Augh.

[John Lenton (chipaca)]

As a workaround: edit the postinst to remove the section about any openjdks you don't have installed, remove the spurious manpage from /usr/share/man/man1/itweb-settings.1.gz, run dpkg --configure --pending, and possibly also update-alternatives --config itweb-settings.

Ugh, indeed.

[Karl-Philipp Richter (krichter722)]

Thanks for your comment. Do you need a verification of the workaround? I would have to get started with editing postinst (of the deb package, right?). As this is a beta version, it might get updated in a while, so I might just verfiy whether the corrected version works.

[John Lenton (chipaca)]

I wouldn't expect this to be fixed for 14.10, no. Could be wrong though.

[Karl-Philipp Richter (krichter722)]

Then there'll be no Java web start in Ubuntu 14.10 (according to `apt-file find javaws` `javaws' is provided by `icedtea-netx` exclusively)?

[John Lenton (chipaca)]

Hm! actually the manpage just causes warnings; it's the logic in the postint that needs fixing.

[lianergoist (tj001)]

FYI: This bug also affect i386.